Progressive favorite Abdul El-Sayed has defeated Republican Mike Rogers in a fiercely contested race for Michigan’s open Senate seat, delivering a breakthrough for the Democratic Party’s left wing in one of the nation’s most consequential battleground states.

The victory will make El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, the first Muslim senator in U.S. history. A former public health official with no previous elected experience, he has traveled a remarkable political road — from a double-digit loss in Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial primary eight years ago to a seat in the U.S. Senate.

“You took a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates,” El-Sayed told supporters gathered in Detroit early Wednesday as he declared victory. “Thank you. This is all yours.”

El-Sayed overcame substantial outside spending in both the Democratic primary and the general election, relying on a grassroots campaign centered on universal health care, removing outside money from elections and forceful criticism of Israel.

With backing from progressive figures such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, his win could energize the movement ahead of the 2028 presidential contest. It offers progressives a powerful example of how candidates running on their agenda can prevail in critical swing states.

Democrats nationwide also scored sweeping victories, winning in both battlegrounds and deeply Republican states to take control of both chambers of Congress.

A Bitter Campaign Against Mike Rogers

Republicans cleared the path for Rogers, a former congressman who narrowly lost a Senate contest to then-Rep. Elissa Slotkin two years ago. But the Republican struggled to balance his allegiance to President Donald Trump with voter anxiety over soaring prices linked to the Iran war and economic disruption caused by the president’s tariffs.

The campaign was further inflamed by attacks over El-Sayed’s criticism of Israel. Trump and other Republicans repeatedly tried to associate him with terrorist organizations, despite no evidence of such connections, and questioned his loyalty to the United States.

In his victory address, El-Sayed accused Republicans of running an exceptionally ugly campaign.

“They might have been pointing to my name and my faith, but we all know my name and my faith are not why you can’t afford your gas,” he said, adding that Republicans “went all in on one of the ugliest campaigns that we’ve seen in our lifetimes.”

The race became a central battleground in the national fight for Senate control after two-term Democratic Sen. Gary Peters announced he would not seek reelection.

El-Sayed emerged from a bruising August primary against establishment-backed Rep. Haley Stevens, a contest that attracted nearly $60 million in outside spending. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, spent nearly $30 million to oppose El-Sayed — its largest investment in a single race. El-Sayed has been a persistent critic of Israel.

The primary laid bare divisions within the Democratic coalition. Some members of Michigan’s Jewish community criticized El-Sayed’s rhetoric, including his remark that “hurt people hurt people” after an attack on a Michigan synagogue earlier this year.

He later apologized, saying he was “sorry” to “anyone who feels like my comments might have been hurtful.”

His appearances alongside Hasan Piker, a popular political streamer who has made inflammatory remarks about Israel, Jews and the Sept. 11 attacks, also drew criticism.

The discord reached a climax two days before Election Day, when Stevens endorsed Rogers after appearing with him at a church. She said El-Sayed had not done enough to address concerns raised by some communities.

Some Democrats also worried about Black voter turnout in Detroit after Stevens won Wayne County in the primary. Former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris were among the prominent Democrats who campaigned alongside El-Sayed in the city, seeking to rally voters behind his candidacy.

Progressive Agenda Breaks Through in Michigan

El-Sayed ran on a firmly progressive platform that unsettled some moderate Democrats. A centerpiece was Medicare for All, a proposal to replace the current combination of private and public health insurance with a government-run, single-payer system.

Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders helped build momentum for El-Sayed early in the campaign. Ocasio-Cortez joined him for a final campaign tour through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the Detroit area.

The win gives progressives a strong argument heading into 2028: their agenda can attract enough support to win, even in some of the country’s most competitive political terrain.

Republicans, meanwhile, chose to give Rogers another shot after his razor-thin defeat in 2024. Slotkin won that race even as Trump carried Michigan by more than a percentage point.

Rogers, once a CNN contributor who criticized Trump, has moved closer to the president in recent years. He sought to broaden his appeal among Democrats and independents, particularly Black and Jewish voters.

Yet the political climate presented a fresh challenge. Rogers had chaired the House Intelligence Committee and built much of his career around national security. He was forced to navigate rising fuel prices and an unpopular war with Iran while remaining aligned with Trump.

“The war with Iran needs to end, and end quickly,” Rogers wrote on social media in September.

El-Sayed celebrated his win with a pointed message for his opponent, telling Rogers to enjoy his “retirement.”

“You chose hate and Michigan chose hope,” El-Sayed said. “May we never have to see the likes of you in this state again.”