Abdul El-Sayed Becomes First Muslim US Senator as Democrats Win Midterms

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has won the United States Senate seat in Michigan, becoming the first Muslim senator in US history. He beat Republican Mike Rogers with about 52.4 percent of the vote to Rogers’ 45.6 percent when the Associated Press called the race, and he will be sworn in on January 3.

El-Sayed’s win came as Democrats swept both chambers of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, according to projections from major news outlets, in a major setback for President Donald Trump and his Republican Party. Vote counting is still going on in some races.

A historic win in Michigan

El-Sayed, 42, is a former public health official and the son of Egyptian immigrants. He won the open seat left by retiring two-term Democratic Senator Gary Peters, after a hard campaign.

He narrowly beat Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens in the primary by about one percentage point, and Stevens then endorsed Rogers. A pro-Israel group spent more than $30 million against him in the primary. Both of Michigan’s Senate seats were already held by Democrats, so the win does not change the balance in the chamber by itself, but it made history.

Six Senate seats flip

Across the country, Democrats flipped six Republican-held Senate seats, according to Reuters. In North Carolina, former governor Roy Cooper beat Republican Michael Whatley. In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews beat Republican Darline Graham, becoming the first woman elected to the US Senate from the state and the first Democrat to win a Senate seat there in more than 20 years.

In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown beat Republican Jon Husted. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico beat Republican Ken Paxton, becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in the state since 1988. In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton is projected to be the first Democrat to win a Senate seat there since 1932. In Iowa, Democrat Josh Turek won the race that took Democrats past the 51 seats needed for a Senate majority.

Before Election Day, Republicans held the House 218-214 and the Senate 53-47. Democrats needed a net gain of four seats in each chamber to flip them, and they achieved both. The Associated Press called the House for the Democrats later on election night, after the party passed 218 seats. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is expected to become the next Speaker of the House, which would make him the first Black man to hold the position.

Governors flip in Texas and Georgia

The Democratic wave also reached governor races. In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa beat three-term Republican Governor Greg Abbott, becoming the state’s first Latina governor and the first Democrat to win statewide office in Texas since 1994. In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms beat businessman Rick Jackson to become the first Black woman elected governor in US history, and the first Democrat to lead Georgia since 1998.

Democrats also won governor races in Ohio, where Amy Acton beat Vivek Ramaswamy, and in Iowa, where Rob Sand beat Zach Lahn. Republicans had some bright spots in Florida, where Trump-backed Byron Donalds won the governorship, becoming the state’s first Black governor, and Ashley Moody kept a Senate seat.

What happens next

With a House majority, Democrats gain the power to investigate the Trump administration and to pass legislation with a simple majority. The result sets up two years of divided government for the final two years of President Trump’s term.

Trump responded to the results by saying Republicans would have won had he been on the ballot, while also saying he would accept the results and work with Democrats. US stock futures rose as investors weighed the Democrats’ sweep.

Read more of our Politics coverage, and see our pre-election story US Midterms 2026: Trump Rallies Iowa and Kansas as Approval Falls to 36% Before Nov 3 Vote.