Abdul El-Sayed defeats Mike Rogers to win US Senate seat in Michigan

The Democrat prevailed after a stream of Islamophobic and racially charged rhetoric from top Republicans and a turbulent end to his campaign. Democrat Abdul el-Sayed has won the race for an open United States Senate seat in Michigan, defeating Republican Mike Rogers.

The former Wayne County health director prevailed after a grassroots campaign built around progressive policies such as Medicare for All and strong criticism of Israel. “To all the parents who struggled to explain why the president openly mocks someone for their name or how they pray, let them know tomorrow that the bad guys lost,” El-Sayed told cheering supporters during his victory speech on Wednesday.

He also repeated his core campaign messaging: on affordability, getting money out of politics, passing Medicare for All, and ending funding for foreign wars. “It shouldn’t be this hard to pay your taxes and know that money is going to be spent on you and your kids, instead of dropping bombs on somebody else and their kids,” the 42-year-old said.