Michigan Voters Decide Closely Watched Senate Race That Could Elect First Muslim to the Chamber

Voters in Michigan are casting ballots in a charged and closely watched Senate contest that could make Democrat Abdul El-Sayed the first Muslim to serve in the United States Senate, while also helping to settle which party controls the chamber.

El-Sayed and his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, are competing for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters. A final New York Times/Siena poll placed El-Sayed 11 points ahead of Rogers heading into the election.

Polls opened at 7am local time (12:00 GMT) and are set to close at 8pm (01:00 GMT on Wednesday). Election officials have cautioned that if the contest is tight, a result may not be declared until later on Wednesday. The US Department of Justice has said election monitors will be deployed at polling places in Michigan and all 50 other states, a first in the country's history.

Rogers voted in person at a polling station in White Lake, Michigan, a few hours after voting began, while El-Sayed had his absentee ballot submitted and counted before Election Day. El-Sayed, a Muslim born to Egyptian parents and raised in Michigan, previously led Detroit's health department and ran on progressive policies, including Medicare for All. Rogers, a former congressman and a close ally of President Donald Trump, is attempting a return after narrowly losing a Senate race to a Democrat in 2024.

The stakes extend well beyond the state. Democrats must pick up four seats in Tuesday's midterm elections to take the Senate back from Republicans and curb Trump's agenda. The Michigan contest is also being watched as a measure of whether a progressive candidate who openly criticises Israel can prevail in a swing state.

Both campaigns turned to social media for a final appeal as voting got under way. "It's time. It's up to us to show the country what's possible. The world is watching," El-Sayed wrote, alongside an upbeat campaign video featuring former President Barack Obama. Rogers posted a video built around interviews with supporters, one of whom branded El-Sayed an "extremist", in a post that read: "We have a state to save."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer delivered a firm endorsement of El-Sayed after voting in New York's race. "There are millions of Michiganders whose number one issue is getting their costs down," Schumer said. "Abdul El-Sayed is .. talking to the people about those issues and doing things about them .. He is going to win tonight because he's talking about what Michiganders care about."

The closing stretch of El-Sayed's campaign was clouded by a rupture with Congresswoman Haley Stevens, the fellow Democrat he narrowly beat in an August primary. On Sunday, Stevens endorsed Rogers, saying she was "choosing country over hate", the culmination of a weeks-long dispute over El-Sayed's opposition to US support for Israel. Stevens is a staunch backer of Israel, and the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC spent more than $30m supporting her against El-Sayed. After her defeat, a majority of her large donors moved behind Rogers, directing $9m to a Republican group backing him, according to The New York Times. El-Sayed has accused Israel of genocide in Gaza and argued American aid to Israel would be better spent at home.

Asked by NewsNation as she arrived to vote for Rogers whether her switch was worth it, Stevens answered: "Absolutely. Voting is always worth it, right?" Schumer, who had originally supported Stevens, brushed off the suggestion that her defection could deliver the seat to Republicans. "Haley Stevens is one vote," he said.

El-Sayed has also faced sustained attacks on his faith throughout the campaign. Republican Party advertising has tried to tie him to "terrorism" and radicalism, and Trump has repeatedly called him a "jihadist" and a "nasty guy", mocking his name and repeating an unfounded claim, widely circulated in Republican circles, that he belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood. Hours before polls opened, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: "Abdul El-Sayed Hates Jews and Hates Blacks. Don't feel bad, he also Hates Whites. Only fools would vote for him in the Michigan race for the U.S. Senate! He will, 100%, do you in! VOTE FOR MIKE ROGERS."

Trump also raised El-Sayed in a Fox News interview early on Election Day, saying annual US financial aid to Israel should end after 2026. "Why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like an El-Sayed when they [Israel] don't need it?" he said.