Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed took the stage in Michigan to declare victory. CBS News has not projected a winner in the race, which remains tight, though Democrats are assessed as the likely winners.
“Michigan, we did it!” El-Sayed said.
He said he is “so proud and honored” to be their senator-elect. If he wins against Republican Mike Rogers, El-Sayed will be the first Muslim-American elected to the U.S. Senate.
“You took a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates, so thank you,” he said. “This is all yours.”
He thanked voters for inviting him to their churches, synagogues and homes.
“Thank you for your trust and your belief and your kindness,” he said. “I’m going to take it all with me and I hope to bring back the kind of leadership that more than earns it.”
El-Sayed said his opponents weren’t just targeting and attacking him, “they were targeting and attacking you.”
“They want an America that is too small for some of us. We know that America is big enough for all of us,” he said.
It was a bitter race. El-Sayed’s vehement criticism of the Israeli government drew stiff pushback from Republicans and some moderate Democrats in both the primary and general election, and President Trump frequently made incendiary comments about El-Sayed, calling him “Mohammad” and saying he should be forced to go through a metal detector. He pointed to that bitterness during his speech early Wednesday.
“So Mike, enjoy your retirement!” El-Sayed said, telling him to enjoy his yachts.
“You chose hate, and Michigan chose hope,” he said. “May we never have to see the likes of you in the state again.”
“JD, habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you’re constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January,” he said, before nodding to Vice President JD Vance’s Ohio heritage. “So you know what that means: Wolverine one, Buckeye zero!”
“Donald, look, I know you’ve struggled with my name,” he said. “So after JD swears me in in January, you can just go on and call me senator.”
“To the super PACs and special interests who tried to beat us, we are coming for your system of politics,” he said. “To AIPAC, who spent $42 million against us, thank you for giving me the opportunity to beat you twice.”
