Abdul El-Sayed responds to anti-Muslim attacks after claiming victory in Michigan’s Senate race, highlighting healthcare, economic inequality, Palestinian rights and political spending.
DETROIT: Abdul El-Sayed has won Michigan’s US Senate race, becoming the first Muslim American elected to the Senate, and used his victory speech to reject anti-Muslim attacks while calling for an America that respects people of different religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
Addressing supporters in Detroit on Wednesday, Nov. 4, the Democratic candidate said his Muslim faith and name had nothing to do with the economic difficulties confronting American families. His victory over Republican Mike Rogers came after a politically contentious campaign in which his religious identity became a major point of attack.
“They might have been pointing to my name and my faith, but we all know that my name and my faith aren’t the reason you can’t afford your gas. Not the reason you can’t afford your groceries. Not the reason you can’t see a doctor,” El-Sayed told supporters.
He argued that the campaign had been about more than his personal political ambitions, describing attacks against his identity as an attempt to define who could belong in American society.
“See, they hate the idea of an America big enough for anyone who looks a little different, or prays a little different, or whose family comes from a different part of the world,” he said.
El-Sayed added that the principle of inclusion extended to people regardless of their appearance, religion, sexual orientation or financial circumstances.
“We know that America is big enough for all of us,” he declared.
Healthcare, workers’ rights and economic inequality
The senator-elect also connected his campaign to the everyday struggles of American families, highlighting healthcare affordability, violence, workers’ rights and economic inequality.
He described a mother fighting to ensure that her two children with a genetic lung disease continued receiving essential medication. He also mentioned a grandmother in Detroit trying to protect her grandson from the violence that had taken her son, alongside a United Auto Workers member who had challenged corporate employers over billions of dollars in profits.
“These are the reasons we do this work,” his remarks suggested, as he emphasised collective responsibility.
“We don’t do this work for ourselves. We do this work for each other,” he said.
El-Sayed criticised what he described as corporate influence over government, endless wars and a healthcare system that prioritised financial returns over patients’ well-being. He also highlighted environmental pollution and threats to voting, reproductive and human rights.
El-Sayed challenges political spending
Turning to the financial resources deployed against his campaign, El-Sayed said more than $350 million had been spent across the Democratic primary and general election contests in an effort to defeat him. He said approximately $70 million had been spent during the primary alone.
He presented the result as evidence that grassroots political movements could overcome the influence of wealthy donors and powerful organisations.
“We showed that in a battle between the money and the many, that the many really can win,” he said.
He also directly criticised the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), claiming it had spent $42 million opposing his campaign. Addressing super PACs and special interests, he vowed to challenge the political system that allowed wealthy organisations to exert influence over elections.
Palestinian rights feature in victory speech
El-Sayed also defended Palestinian rights, rejecting the suggestion that supporting Palestinian children and their right to live in their ancestral homeland amounted to hatred.
He framed his position around equality, human dignity and self-determination, particularly in discussions involving US taxpayer money.
“If you believe in equal rights, human dignity, and self-determination, that’s not hate, it’s love,” he said.
His comments placed Palestinian self-determination alongside his broader criticism of political spending and special-interest influence.
First Muslim American elected to the US Senate
The Associated Press projected El-Sayed as the winner of Michigan’s Senate race against Republican Mike Rogers, confirming a historic outcome. He will become the first Muslim American to serve in the US Senate.
A physician and public-health expert, El-Sayed previously led Detroit’s health department and served as director of the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services.
In his victory address, he also mocked President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance over the attacks directed at him during the campaign, joking that Vance would be constitutionally required to swear him into the Senate in January.
“You chose hate, and Michigan chose hope,” El-Sayed told supporters.
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