Abdul El-Sayed’s Victory – A Sign Of The Times
Voters in the US midterm elections on November 3 largely repudiated President Donald Trump and his Republican Party as the Democrats wrested control of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
One of the most watched congressional races took place in the northern state of Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive Democrat, faced Trump’s hand-picked candidate, Mike Rogers, a former congressman.
Riding on the coattails of Democratic victories across the United States, Sayed soundly defeated Rogers, thereby becoming the first Muslim to win a seat in the US Senate.
The son of immigrants from Egypt, Sayed, 42, ran on a liberal and anti-Israel platform, much like Zohran Mamdani, the Muslim mayor of New York City.
Beyond his animus for Israel, Sayed’s historic victory was a striking indicator of the sour mood in the United States today. The American electorate is fed up with the high cost of living in terms of skyrocketing food, gasoline and housing prices and was receptive to an agenda of policies beginning with health care reform.
Trump’s war in Iran, which was waged in tandem with Israel, the US’ ally in the Middle East, was deeply unpopular as well.
Sayed, a former public health official, tapped into all these interrelated issues, pleasing many Muslim voters and alienating most Jewish Americans.
Haley Stevens, who lost the Senate primary to Sayed in August following a bitter battle, shocked Democrats by endorsing Rogers after voicing support for him.
“Hey, Michigan” she said, “As you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for US Senate, Abdul, said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away. And he’s right – that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the US Senate.”
Stevens’ defection exposed internal divisions within the Democratic Party and unleashed a storm of criticism from top Democrats.
“This is a despicable betrayal,” said Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader. “Senate Democrats are united in our support for Abdul El-Sayed because we know he will fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan, unlike Mike Rogers, who is a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors.”
The former governor of Michigan, Jennifer Granholm, said, “I am furious about what happened in Michigan. I endorsed Haley Stevens in the primary. She was a friend and we worked closely together. I understand and share her concerns about hate, both antisemitism and Islamophobia. But in endorsing Rogers, I no longer recognize her.”
Members of Stevens’ team, including her chief of staff, were heartbroken and resigned in protest over her endorsement of Rogers.
In the runup to the election, leading Democrats visited Michigan to campaign for Sayed. Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, conducted a rally in Detroit for him. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York accompanied him for a day of campaigning. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont held rallies on his behalf. Each of them contributed $1 million to his coffers.
On the day of the election, Trump announced that almost $4 billion in annual US military aid to Israel would be phased out by the close of this year. He said that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were in agreement on the need to end such aid and deny Democratic critics of Israel an argument.
In his politically-inspired announcement, Trump made a direct reference to Sayed, whom he denounced as a “jihadist.”
“Why should we suffer the slings of lunatics like an El-Sayed when they don’t need it?” Trump said in an allusion to Israel’s strong economy
During his campaign, Sayed called for an end to all US military aid to Israel, accused Israel of genocide in waging its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and called for a one-state solution.
To an unprecedented degree, the election in Michigan often turned on Israel, whose popularity has soured in the United States, particularly among younger Democratic and Republican voters.
A New York Times/Sienna poll this past May found that about 75 percent of Democratic voters were opposed to US economic or military support for Israel.
Newly-elected Democrats, such as pro-Palestinian progressive Darializa Avila Chevalier of New York, is antagonistic to Israel, judging by her statements.
Moderate Democrats, like Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey and Representatives Hakeem Jeffries and Josh Gottheimer of New York, have defended the US-Israel alliance, which came under stress during the Israel-Hamas war.
Michigan, with its substantial Jewish and Arab communities, was at the center of this acrimonious debate.
Stevens, whose fiance Jason Turkish is Jewish, is an avid supporter of Israel. Her campaign was backed by a super PAC financed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Sayed dismayed Jews with his harsh critiques of Israel.
In the wake of a terrorist attack on a West Bloomfield synagogue in March 2026, Sayed said, “I’ll never forget one of the simplest lessons I learned while on my psychiatry rotation in medical school: hurt people hurt people.”
During a debate on October 8, Sayed refused to describe Iran as a greater threat to America than Israel. A “ridiculous hypothetical,” he claimed, saying that Israel is “not actually our friend.” He added, “I think both of them have proven dangerous in their own way. One at risk of attacking us, one getting us into wars we have no business fighting.”
His association with anti-Israel blogger Hasan Piker also alarmed Jews and Democratic loyalists.
Sayed’s election is an unmistakable indicator that the political landscape in the United States has shifted, much to the detriment of Israel and American Jews.
