The drama in the Michigan Senate race between the Democrat El-Sayed and the Republican Rogers had been intense.
There was El-Sayed, who had been a public health administrator, serving as the director of the Wayne County Department of Health, Human Services, and Veterans Services. He spoke about being a doctor and having a medical degree, but he was never licensed to practice medicine. Then there was Rogers, who previously served his country in the military, as an FBI special agent, and as a member of the House of Representatives.
Decision Desk HQ has projected that Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is the winner over Republican Mike Rogers, with 52.53 percent to 45.47 percent, keeping the Michigan Senate seat in Democrat hands.
Decision Desk HQ projects Abdul El-Sayed wins the MI US Senate General Election #DecisionMade: 1:15 AM EST Follow live results here: https://t.co/3rzJgHtluc https://t.co/ws4pK0zqGA
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 4, 2026
There hasn't been a Republican senator in Michigan in 25 years, so that gave the advantage to El-Sayed, despite Rogers being a particularly good candidate for the Republicans, and El-Sayed an especially problematic one.
The Democrat nominee Abdul El-Sayed seemed to keep putting his foot in his mouth with a constantly obnoxious approach to anyone who questioned him, including reporters. He had trouble with basic concepts like condemning the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and saying who posed more of a threat to America, Iran or Israel. In a bad "60 Minutes" interview, he said "Palestine" had a right to exist while putting conditions on Israel's right to exist. He also gave a bizarre answer when asked a question about "transgender kids on sports teams"; he spoke about how kids see everything on their phones and "the most important thing you can do is not try to protect a person from seeing a thing."
El-Sayed had problems in the final days, particularly over questions about his connections to extreme positions and offensive ads. His primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11), had been trying to get him to moderate his views and denounce the ads. But when he refused to and told her to stay away from his campaign, she called him out on it, ultimately saying El-Sayed wasn't "fit to serve," and endorsing Mike Rogers.
That created an uproar in the Democrat Party against Stevens. It also revealed how they were far more concerned about the party and their own power than they were about the country. But the concerns about Stevens were a sign of the problem that El-Sayed had in general having with voters, with other Democrats having questions about him or deciding to vote for Rogers as well.
The RealClearPolitics polling average had El-Sayed up at the end, 50.3 to 45 percent, a difference of +5.3.
In the middle of the blue wave, you could say that El-Sayed didn't do as well as maybe he could have, without all his problems. However, ultimately, it was too much for Rogers to overcome.
That's unfortunate for Michigan, the Senate, and America.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
Help RedState continue to report on the Democrats’ radicalism and inform voters as our nation faces a crossroads. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the Conversation
VIP members get the ability to comment on articles.