Progressive favourite Abdul El-Sayed has defeated Republican Mike Rogers in a bitter campaign for Michigan’s open Senate seat, giving the Democratic Party’s left wing a breakthrough victory in one of the nation’s most important swing states.
El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, will become the nation’s first Muslim senator.
A former public health official who has never held elected office, he rose from a double-digit defeat in Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial primary eight years ago to win a seat in the US Senate.
Democrats won control of the US Senate after flipping Republican seats across the country on Tuesday.
El-Sayed overcame massive outside spending in both the Democratic primary and general election with a grassroots campaign built around universal health care, removing outside money from elections and sharp criticism of Israel.
Backed by progressive leaders, his victory will bolster the movement before the 2028 presidential election, offering evidence that candidates embracing its agenda can win in critical battleground states.
Republicans had cleared the field for Rogers, a former congressman who narrowly lost a Senate race to then-representative Elissa Slotkin two years ago.
But Rogers struggled to balance his loyalty to President Donald Trump with concerns over rising prices tied to the war in Iran and economic turmoil from the president’s tariffs.
The campaign also featured bitter attacks over El-Sayed’s criticism of Israel.
Trump and other Republicans repeatedly sought to link him to terrorist organisations, despite no evidence of such ties, and questioned his loyalty to the United States.
“Mike, enjoy your retirement,” El-Sayed told supporters as he declared victory early on Wednesday.
“You chose hate and Michigan chose hope. May we never have to see the likes of you in this state again.”
El-Sayed faced questions about whether he could unite Democrats after a contentious primary, particularly among Black voters in Detroit and Jewish voters in its suburbs.
El-Sayed’s primary opponent, representative Haley Stevens, shocked Democrats by endorsing Rogers on November 1, saying the Democratic candidate had not done enough to address her and the Jewish community’s concerns.
The race became a focal point in the national battle for Senate control after two-term Democratic senator Gary Peters decided not to seek re-election.
El-Sayed emerged from a bruising August primary against the establishment-backed Stevens that drew nearly $US60 million ($A86 million) in outside spending.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, spent nearly $30 million opposing El-Sayed, its largest investment in a single race.
El-Sayed has been a staunch critic of Israel.
El-Sayed campaigned on an unapologetically progressive platform that made some moderate Democrats uneasy.
Central to his campaign was Medicare for All, which would replace the current mix of private and public health insurance with a government-run, single-payer system.
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