Abdul El-Sayed wasn't supposed to be a politician. Now he's America's 1st Muslim senator

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has defeated Republican Mike Rogers in the race for a US Senate seat in Michigan, marking a victory for the former public health official who entered politics after training as a doctor.With his victory, El-Sayed has made history as the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.The closely fought contest marks a breakthrough for the party’s progressive faction and prevents Republicans from flipping the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters.El-Sayed campaigned on an agenda centred on universal healthcare and government accountability in one of the country's key political battleground states.The Michigan race had drawn national attention as Democrats sought to regain control of the Senate.Rogers, a former congressman and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, was making a second attempt to win a Senate seat after losing to Democrat Elissa Slotkin by fewer than 20,000 votes in 2024.For El-Sayed, the victory marks the culmination of a political journey that began with a career in medicine. According to his campaign website, he initially trained to become a doctor but came to believe that failures in the political system were contributing to people's health problems.He has since built his career around public health and government administration, including serving as director of the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services.His campaign focused on the idea that healthcare should be accessible to everyone and that government should work for ordinary Americans rather than wealthy individuals and corporations.'I believe life in America shouldn't be this hard'"I ran for the US Senate because I believe life in America shouldn't be this hard," El-Sayed said on his campaign website, adding that he would fight to build a government that worked for people rather than "Elon Musk, Donald Trump, or their billionaire friends".His campaign website also described him as someone who "wasn't supposed to be a politician".Vocal critic of IsraelThe Michigan contest was marked by disagreements over US support for Israel and accusations of antisemitism.El-Sayed, who has been a vocal critic of Israel, faced criticism over his response to a March attack on a Michigan synagogue. He later apologised to those who felt his comments were hurtful.Republicans also sought to link him to controversial political streamer Hasan Piker, with whom he had appeared during the Democratic primary.President Donald Trump repeatedly referred to El-Sayed as a "jihadist", although Republicans produced no evidence linking him to terrorist organisations.From medical school to the US SenateBorn and raised in southeast Michigan, El-Sayed attended public schools and captained his high school football, wrestling and lacrosse teams.He graduated from the University of Michigan with the highest distinction and played for its men's lacrosse team. He later earned a medical degree from Columbia University through a National Institutes of Health-funded fellowship and completed a second doctorate at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.His father, Mohamed, is an Egyptian immigrant, while his stepmother, Jackie, belongs to a family that has lived in Michigan's Gratiot County since the 1800s.El-Sayed lives in Ann Arbor with Sarah and their two daughters, Emmalee and Serene.A second consecutive defeatRogers, 63, a former congressman and FBI agent, entered the contest with the backing of Trump and national Republicans. He sought to portray El-Sayed as a radical candidate sympathetic to Islamic extremism, citing alleged links to the Muslim Brotherhood, Reuters reported.The defeat marks Rogers' second consecutive loss in a Michigan Senate race. He narrowly lost the 2024 contest to Democrat Elissa Slotkin, even as Trump carried the state in that year's presidential election.El-Sayed's victory gives Democrats a win in a state that has not elected a Republican to the US Senate since 1994.The Karnataka connectionEl-Sayed's victory also has a personal connection to coastal Karnataka through his wife, Dr Sarah Jukaku, a psychiatrist whose family traces its roots to Bhatkal, around 140km from Mangaluru.Sarah is the granddaughter of Jukaku Shamshuddin, who served as deputy minister for finance in Mysore State under then chief minister BD Jatti.A Rhodes Scholar, El-Sayed met Sarah while they were students at the University of Michigan. He has spoken about his connection with her South Indian family and culture."Listen, I've been married in a South Indian family for 20 years, like. I'm well inducted now. You know, I might be more Indian than I'm Arab," he said in an interview.While the family has its roots in Bhatkal, most of its members are now settled in Bengaluru. Sarah's immediate family, meanwhile, has largely remained in the US.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.