US media outlets reported on Wednesday that Democratic candidate Abdulrahman Alsayed had won Michigan's seat in the US Senate, defeating his Republican rival Mike Rogers and becoming the first Muslim ever elected to the Senate in American history.
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"We did it! I am incredibly proud and honoured to stand here as the senator-elect from the great state of Michigan," Alsayed said in a speech at his campaign headquarters in Detroit.
Election tracking firm Decision Desk HQ called the race for Alsayed, who secured 50.92% of the vote, compared with 47.10% for his Republican opponent, according to an update issued after more than 3.7 million ballots had been counted.
Alsayed's victory, which makes him the first Egyptian-American Muslim elected to the Senate, marks a historic achievement in the congressional midterm elections, which also saw Democrats projected to take control of the Senate from Republicans, according to media projections.
Alsayed, 42, is a physician and public health specialist. He previously served as director of the Wayne County Department of Health in Michigan and ran in the Democratic primary for governor in 2018, losing to Gretchen Whitmer.
Alsayed campaigned on a progressive platform focused on reducing the cost of living, expanding healthcare services and limiting the influence of money in politics. He also called for an end to US military aid to Israel.
The Senate race was closely contested against Rogers, a former Republican member of the House of Representatives who received support from President Donald Trump. Alsayed, meanwhile, faced political attacks focusing on his religion, his positions on Israel and the war in Gaza.
Alsayed also encountered divisions within the Democratic Party after Representative Haley Stevens, whom he defeated in the party's primary last August, endorsed his Republican rival days before the election over disagreements concerning his positions on Israel.
The two candidates were competing for the seat being vacated by Democratic Senator Gary Peters, who decided not to seek re-election. Michigan is considered one of the country's key swing states, and Trump won it in the 2024 presidential election.
Alsayed's victory keeps the seat in Democratic hands while establishing a historic precedent in the US Senate, which has never had a Muslim member since its establishment in 1789.
