Midterms: Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate Candidate Stirring Fierce Passions

It is an election considered neck and neck and crucial in the battle for control of the US Senate. In Michigan, Democratic Party nominee Abdul El-Sayed, 42, could become the first Muslim senator in the United States on Tuesday, November 3. The son of Egyptian immigrants, born in this Midwestern state and a native Arabic speaker, faces Republican Mike Rogers in the decisive midterm election.

Abdul El-Sayed will not be able to rely on the support of all Democrats: US Representative Haley Stevens, whom Abdul El-Sayed defeated this summer in a primary, publicly endorsed... the Republican Party candidate this Sunday, November 1. "I am supporting Mike Rogers for Senate today. I am no longer part of Abdul El-Sayed's campaign," she stated in a video posted on social media. She had earlier joined the Republican candidate to attend a religious service at Detroit's Perfecting Church, a church in the city's Black community. Donald Trump himself seized the unexpected opportunity, inviting Haley Stevens to join the Republican Party and telling reporters that her endorsement was a "wise decision because Abdul El-Sayed would destroy our country."

Before this unexpected boost to Republicans, Abdul El-Sayed's team had asked Haley Stevens to stay away from his campaign to "avoid distracting from the core issues" at hand. The Democratic candidate reacted to this defection by accusing his former rival of being "determined to reignite" their bitter primary battle and distracting from the campaign's main goal: defeating Mike Rogers and opposing Donald Trump's agenda.

Criticism of Israel

The dispute between the two Democratic figures centers on an advertisement from a political action committee led by left-wing commentator Cenk Uygur, linking rising food prices to US support for Israel. Abdul El-Sayed briefly campaigned with Cenk Uygur's nephew, Hasan Piker, a far-left influencer criticized for his inflammatory remarks about Israel and American Jews. Haley Stevens demanded that he condemn the ad, which she said blames Israel for increasing those prices. As noted by The New York Times, Jewish organizations and some Democrats have accused Hasan Piker of antisemitism, an allegation the streamer refutes. Several Democrats also criticized Abdul El-Sayed for this collaboration.

Abdul El-Sayed's political rise comes amid growing skepticism in the United States regarding the actions of the Israeli government, particularly in Gaza. The Michigan Democratic candidate is one of the most vocal Democratic critics of Israel. He has often avoided directly answering questions regarding his belief in Israel's right to exist, The Washington Post notes. Throughout his campaign, however, he has maintained that he is as committed to the safety of Jews as to that of his own daughters, and has condemned antisemitism.

A Focus on Social Welfare

Advocating policies to curb corporate influence and expand social welfare, Abdul El-Sayed has established himself as one of the most prominent progressive figures in the Democratic Party. A former public health director and trained epidemiologist, he supports universal health care and the abolition of the widely condemned US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He has centered his campaign on lowering costs for working-class Americans while seeking to tie his Republican opponent to Donald Trump. Popular among younger voters, El-Sayed describes himself as a capitalist and rejects the socialist label. He has secured the backing of the influential United Auto Workers union.

The former podcaster and CNN commentator has nonetheless nuanced some of his most progressive positions, framing universal healthcare as an ongoing process rather than an overnight transformation. A compelling orator, he also concentrates heavily on addressing affordability and fighting Donald Trump's trade war with Canada, which has hit Michigan hard.

Facing him, 63-year-old Republican Mike Rogers pitches himself as a pragmatic conservative focused on lowering costs, revitalizing manufacturing, and bolstering border security. In the face of Donald Trump's declining popularity, he has recently called for an end to the war in Iran and the trade dispute with Canada, while avoiding direct criticism of the president.

Target of Islamophobic Attacks

In this crucial and unpredictable election, Abdul El-Sayed enjoys significant backing: that of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a prominent figure on the American left. The congresswoman, widely expected to be re-elected to a fifth term on November 3, intervenes selectively in Democratic primaries. Abdul El-Sayed is also endorsed by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and other left-wing luminaries. It remains uncertain, however, whether such backing will prove sufficient to secure victory.

Because of his religion, Abdul El-Sayed has faced a barrage of Islamophobic attacks from Republican officials and conservative influencers, who have unsubstantiatedly accused him of links to the Muslim Brotherhood or Hamas, and of intending to impose sharia law in the United States. Donald Trump himself, referring to him as "Mohammed," accused him of being a "radical EXTREMIST, a terrorist sympathizer" seeking to drag the country back "to the days of jihad."

Independent analysts view the Michigan race as extremely tight. The RealClearPolling polling average places Abdul El-Sayed ahead by 2.5 points in a state Donald Trump won by 1.4 points in 2024. Ahead of Tuesday's vote, Republicans hold a 53-to-47 majority in the Senate. Thirty-five Senate seats and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives—where Republicans also hold a slim majority—are up for grabs in these midterms. Polls suggest Democrats appear poised to win the House majority and are locked in a close battle for control of the Senate.