Abdul El-Sayed secured a historic victory in Michigan’s Senate race despite tensions within the Democratic Party just days before Election Day.
NBC News projected El-Sayed’s victory over Republican Mike Rogers, despite Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorsing his opponent just days before the election.
Abdul El-Sayed wins despite Democratic Party tensions
The Michigan Senate race took an unexpected turn when Stevens withdrew her support for El-Sayed and endorsed Rogers on Sunday, November 1.
Her announcement came just hours after she publicly stated that she would continue supporting El-Sayed.
The decision sparked criticism from prominent Democrats, including political strategists James Carville and Lis Smith.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also addressed the controversy but neither criticized nor defended Stevens’ decision.
Stevens later appeared on CNN, where she attempted to explain her decision to Anderson Cooper.
On Election Day, she published a letter explaining her support for Rogers and criticizing the backlash from fellow Democrats.
However, Stevens’ endorsement did not prevent El-Sayed from securing a projected victory.
According to NBC News, El-Sayed received 52.3% of the vote, compared with Rogers’ 45.7%, with 94.4% of the votes counted at the time.
The Democrat received 2,431,112 votes, compared with Rogers’ 2,123,522. Third-party candidate Lydia Christensen secured approximately 1% of the vote.
The result also marked a historic moment in American politics.
According to TMZ, El-Sayed became the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.
Stevens faced considerable criticism for supporting Rogers despite belonging to the same party as El-Sayed.
Despite the controversy, the election figures showed El-Sayed holding a substantial lead over Rogers.
El-Sayed celebrated his victory in Detroit on Wednesday, November 4, thanking voters for supporting his campaign.
