Abdul El-Sayed
US Senator-elect for Michigan; beat Republican Mike Rogers in November 2026.
Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's US Senate seat on 3 November 2026, beating Republican Mike Rogers 52.5% to 45.5% on NBC News's projection. CBS News called the race for him at 2:31am Eastern time on 4 November.
Last refreshed: 5 November 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Abdul El-Sayed
Won after $1.20m of SLF spending against him
US Midterms 2026: SLF's final $43.9m: 7 of 10 targets wonSLF opens a $4.06m South Carolina front
US Midterms 2026Raised $25.49m in the quarter
US Midterms 2026: Cook and Sabato moves run to DemocratsSabato moves Michigan Senate to Leans D
US Midterms 2026Mentioned in: Musk's America PAC books $1.43m of mail
US Midterms 2026Background
El-Sayed won Michigan's US Senate election on 3 November 2026, beating Republican Mike Rogers 52.5% to 45.5% on NBC News's projection from unofficial counts. Michigan's seat formed part of the Democratic Senate majority won that night.
He reached the general election through the 4 August Democratic primary, where pre-vote polling had him ten to fifteen points ahead of Haley Stevens despite her endorsements from Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Senator Gary Peters. By 22 September Sabato's Crystal Ball rated Michigan Leans Democratic, on the strength of a Suffolk poll giving El-Sayed a seven-point lead.
Outside Republican money against him came late. The Senate Leadership Fund spent $1.20m against him in the final week of the campaign, a small share of the $43.9m it reported across Senate races that week.
El-Sayed led from primary to victory
El-Sayed went into the 4 August Democratic primary as the clear favourite, polling ten to fifteen points ahead of Haley Stevens even though Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Senator Gary Peters had endorsed her. Winning against the state party establishment made him the nominee on his own terms.
His position held through the general election. A Suffolk poll on 22 September gave him a 47-40 lead over Rogers, and Sabato's Crystal Ball shifted its Michigan rating in his favour, to Leans Democratic. His seven-point margin on 3 November closely matched that September lead. The Senate Leadership Fund spent $1.20m against him in the final week without changing the shape of the race.
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Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 5 November 2026. Editorial standards.