Abdul El-Sayed had an uncomfortable message for US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance as he celebrated his historic election victory in Michigan. They had used a range of racist labels and rhetoric to target El-Sayed ahead of the midterm elections, which he was contesting against Trump’s handpicked candidate, Mike Rogers. Trump mocked his name, and said that as president, he could call the Michigan physician and former public health official anything he wanted.
Trump called El-Sayed a “jihadist”, while Vance described him as a “psychopath”. Now, the 42-year-old winner of the Michigan race pointed out, they would soon need to address him as a senator. But beyond the historic significance of his election, El-Sayed focused on his promise to challenge economic inequality, healthcare and the cost of living in the country.
It shouldn’t be this hard to buy a second bag of groceries or to fill your tank,” he said. His victory is seen as a breakthrough for progressives in the Democratic Party, who have increasingly challenged the party’s status quo over economic inequality and US wars abroad, including steadfast support for Israel. Moreover, his win carries particular electoral significance, as Michigan is seen as a swing state that Trump won comfortably just two years ago.
El-Sayed was born and raised in the Detroit metropolitan area of Michigan and is of Egyptian descent. He has often described his upbringing as that of a typical kid in a “brown” family of immigrants — he was expected to be high-achieving and successful at everything he did. A physician and public health expert, he studied at the University of Michigan, where he was valedictorian of his 2007 graduating class.
At his commencement, guest speaker and former President Bill Clinton praised the incoming senator for his speech focusing on inclusivity and equality. He went on to become a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. He also earned a medical degree from Columbia University in New York.
Before entering electoral politics, El-Sayed built his career in public health, working as an epidemiologist and eventually leading Detroit’s Health Department as its executive director. He later became director of the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veteran Services. The incoming senator is married to Indian-American psychiatrist Sarah Jukaku, with whom he has two daughters.
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