‘Call me senator’: How Abdul El-Sayed beat Trump’s hate to create history
The 42-year-old Democrat has defeated Republican Mike Rogers to become the first Muslim senator in the US.
Abdul El-Sayed had an uncomfortable message for US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance as he celebrated his historic election victory in Michigan.
They had used a range of racist labels and rhetoric to target El-Sayed ahead of the midterm elections, which he was contesting against Trump’s handpicked candidate, Mike Rogers. Trump mocked his name, and said that as president, he could call the Michigan physician and former public health official anything he wanted. Trump called El-Sayed a “jihadist”, while Vance described him as a “psychopath”.
Now, the 42-year-old winner of the Michigan race pointed out, they would soon need to address him as a senator.
He campaigned on expanding healthcare access and challenging corporate influence but lost the Democratic primary to Gretchen Whitmer, who subsequently won the governorship.