Abdul El-Sayed is leading Republican Mike Rogers by 3 to 4 points in the Michigan Senate race as he seeks to become the first Muslim U.S. senator. Republicans have targeted El-Sayed with over $40 million in negative ads, while Donald Trump has escalated attacks by calling him a jihadist. El-Sayed has aggressively countered the rhetoric while navigating internal Democratic party tensions over his progressive platform.
Abdul El-Sayed Senate campaign
- ▪Polling averages show Abdul El-Sayed leading Republican opponent Mike Rogers by approximately 3 to 4 percentage points in the Michigan Senate race
- ▪Abdul El-Sayed is running as the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, seeking to become the country's first Muslim senator
- ▪Abdul El-Sayed's campaign reported that the candidate has held over 500 events in more than 100 cities across Michigan
Republican attacks on El-Sayed
- ▪During an October 9, 2026 appearance with Mike Rogers, Louisiana Senator John Kennedy claimed that Abdul El-Sayed sleeps in an Osama Bin Laden jersey
- ▪As of October 10, 2026, Republican groups had outspent Democrats $78 million to $63 million in the Michigan Senate race, including $40 million in negative advertisements against Abdul El-Sayed
El-Sayed's confrontational campaign style
- ▪Abdul El-Sayed called Republican opponent Mike Rogers a coward and described President Donald Trump as afraid to visit Michigan during campaign stops
- ▪In response to Louisiana Senator John Kennedy's comments on October 10, 2026, Abdul El-Sayed posted on social media that the remark was rich coming from someone who wears his bed sheets out at night
Trump's Islamophobic rhetoric
- ▪President Donald Trump referred to Abdul El-Sayed as Mohamed and called him a radical jihadist during an October 10, 2026 rally speech in Clarksville, Tennessee
- ▪President Donald Trump posted a social media comparison of himself and Melania Trump alongside Abdul El-Sayed and his hijab-wearing wife with the caption Two VERY DIFFERENT America's
Mike Rogers tariff position
- ▪Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers released a campaign ad calling for an end to the tariff war with Canada, reversing his prior support for Donald Trump's Canadian tariffs
- ▪An estimate referenced by The Bulwark indicates that tariffs on auto parts crossing the Michigan-Ontario border have imposed over $4 billion in extra costs on carmakers
Democratic Party divisions
- ▪Abdul El-Sayed's progressive platform and past criticism of Israel have created skepticism among some Jewish Democrats and party strategists following his primary win against Representative Haley Stevens
- ▪The AIPAC-affiliated super PAC United Democracy Project disclosed a $94,000 expenditure against Abdul El-Sayed in October 2026 after spending nearly $30 million against him during the primary against Haley Stevens
Debatable claims
- ▪Republican personal attacks against Abdul El-Sayed cross acceptable campaign boundaries
- ▪Abdul El-Sayed's progressive platform is a political liability for Michigan Democrats
- ▪Abdul El-Sayed's foreign policy record alienates vital Democratic constituencies
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