Abdul El-Sayed Becomes First Muslim Senator as Democrats Rout GOP Across the U.S. in Rebuke to Trump

In a stunning repudiation of President Trump, Democrats regained control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections, flipping seven Senate seats: Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina. Meanwhile, progressive Democrat Dr. Abdul El-Sayed defeated former Republican Congressmember Mike Rogers for an open Senate seat in Michigan with over 52% of the vote. El-Sayed campaigned on a platform of Medicare for All, tackling economic inequality and getting big money out of politics — as well as ending military aid to Israel. He is the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. El-Sayed faced vitriolic, Islamaphobic attacks by top Republicans throughout the campaign.

“Last night wasn’t just about Dr. Abdulrahman being a Muslim, winning and going to the United States Senate,” says Palestinian American organizer and author Linda Sarsour, who has been campaigning for El-Sayed. “It demonstrated that progressives can win in states like Michigan” and that “we can win on standing up for the human rights of the Palestinian people.”