Abdul el-Sayed, the Democratic anti-Israel nominee for US Senate in Michigan, defeated Republican Mike Rogers in one of the country’s most closely watched races.
With 85 per cent of the expected vote counted, El-Sayed had received 2,206,235 votes, or 52 per cent, compared with Rogers’s 1,952,991 votes, or 46 per cent.
El-Sayed, a former Detroit health director, will succeed retiring Senator Gary Peters (D-MI). He becomes the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.
His victory follows a bitter campaign in which he called Israel’s government “bloodthirsty”.
He has called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal, accused Israel of buying American Jewish support, and opposed the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism.
El-Sayed previously told TV network ABC: “An ally that takes your money to push you into wars you shouldn’t be fighting is not an ally.”
Comparing the relationship to a friendship, he accused Israel of relying on American taxpayers’ money while involving the US in disputes with other countries.
“I think it’s time for us to realise that Israel is actually not our friend,” he concluded.
On October 26, Rebellion PAC released an advertisement supporting el-Sayed that blamed rising grocery costs on US military aid to Israel.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, called the advertisement “a case study in antisemitism”. El-Sayed’s campaign said it had no affiliation with the advertisement.
On November 1, Representative Haley Stevens (D-MI), whom el-Sayed narrowly defeated in the Democratic primary in August, endorsed Rogers, citing el-Sayed’s rhetoric about Israel and his association with controversial leftist streamer Hasan Piker.
Her endorsement drew criticism from Democratic leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who called it “a despicable betrayal”.
And, following his win, el-Sayed got into a heated exchange with Sky News US Correspondent James Matthews, during which the new Senator placed his hands on the journalist’s shoulders and told him he would not answer his questions as “zero” of his voters were from the UK.
Michigan's Democratic candidate for Senate Abdul El-Sayed confronted @jamesmatthewsky, telling him he wouldn't answer his questions as he wants "zero" votes in the UK.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 3, 2026
Watch the heated exchange between the two.
Watch our live coverage of the US midterms➡️… pic.twitter.com/qWAodH1qrf
Despite the controversies surrounding him, a survey commissioned by the Jewish Majority found that 57 per cent of Jewish early voters in Michigan supported el-Sayed.
The survey of 482 Jewish voters, 75 per cent of whom identified as Democrats or leaned Democratic, was conducted between October 25 and 31, before Stevens endorsed Rogers.
El-Sayed substantially underperformed among those surveyed compared with other Democrats on the ballot. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson received 78 per cent support.
Rogers received 36 per cent of the Jewish early vote, according to the survey, while 4 per cent supported other candidates.
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