Who is Abdul El-Sayed, who could become the 1st Muslim senator in US history
Democrat 'Outsider', Abdul El-Sayed is favorite in the Senate race in Michigan, a decisive state in the midterms. A 42-year-old doctor, El-Sayed is the son of Egyptians and was born in the USA. During the campaign, he faced a wave of criticism and questions about his religion.
By Luisa Belchior, g1
Democratic candidate for Senate from Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, stands behind an American flag during a campaign event in Mount Clemens, Michigan, on October 31, 2026. — Photo: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/ AP
If the polls are confirmed, the United States could have the first Muslim senator in its history. This is Abdul El-Sayed, an "outsider" Democratic doctor from the state of Michigan who became one of the big names in the midterm campaign, the elections that renew part of the United States Legislature.
El-Sayed, 42 years old, went viral on social media, was joined by former President Barack Obama in the final stretch of the campaign and became one of the main stars of the Democratic Party.
Born on the outskirts of Detroit, in the USA, and the son of Egyptian parents, El-Sayed is part of the most progressive wing of the party. He won the primaries despite the party's hard core, which preferred his rival. Now, however, voting intention polls project victory by a margin of between 3 and 7 percentage points for the candidate in Michigan, a decisive state in the Senate election.
Projections indicate that the Democrats, the party opposing Trump, are expected to regain control of the Chamber and could win a majority in the Senate — currently, the US president's Republican Party has control in both Houses.
Former US President Barack Obama campaigns with Democratic US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson in Detroit, Michigan — Photo: REUTERS/Rebecca Cook
Married to psychiatrist Sarah Jukaku, of Indian origin and also Muslim, El-Sayed did not put religion on the agenda of his campaign, but became the target of constant questioning and attacks on his faith.
In one of these questions, during a rally, he said that he is just "a candidate for the Senate who happens to be Muslim." And he spent his campaign trying to turn his attention to health issues, the central axis of his campaign — the Democrat defends a proposal for universal healthcare for all US citizens financed by the government, in addition to the elimination of medical debt.
The Democrat studied biology and political science and then went to medical school at Columbia. He completed his studies with a doctorate in public health at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed alongside his wife, Sarah Jukaku, during a campaign event in Detroit, on November 2, 2026. — Photo: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/ AP
After returning to the USA, he was a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University and headed the Detroit Health Department, where he lives with his wife and the couple's two daughters — in the final stretch of the campaign, he launched an ad in which he presents himself as a loving father of two daughters.
But, despite his training and experience in the health sector, he began trying to migrate to politics in 2018, when he was a pre-candidate for governor of Michigan, but lost in the Democratic primaries.
Now, as the big name of his party in Michigan, he will face Republican Mike Rogers, a former federal deputy, in what could become the fiercest race this year for a Senate seat currently held by Democrats.
Rogers has tried to explore doubts among black and especially Jewish voters, who were divided after El-Sayed's harsh criticism of the US government's support for Israel. The Republican portrayed El-Sayed as a single-issue candidate, "more focused on Gaza than Michigan."
