US midterm elections 2026: Abdul El-Sayed declares victory as first Muslim elected to Senate

Abdul El-Sayed declared victory in Michigan’s Senate race, which would make him the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. His win matters as he prepares to replace retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters and has spoken about facing Islamophobic insults during the campaign.

With 80 per cent of votes counted, El-Sayed had 51.8 per cent against Republican Mike Rogers’s 46.2 per cent. Fox News and other outlets called the race, while the Associated Press had not yet done so. In his victory speech, El-Sayed said he was proud to be senator-elect and addressed families whose children had heard President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance mock him.