Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers are competing for a seat in the US Senate in Michigan ahead of the midterm elections on 3 November 2026. The US Senate currently holds a 53-47 majority, meaning Democrats require four seats to seize control of the chamber.
Donald Trump branded El-Sayed a "jihadist" while Rogers, a former congressman, US Army officer and FBI agent, questioned the candidate's loyalty to the United States during a televised debate. El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood despite a social media post by his half-sister claiming their mother was involved with the group in the 1970s.
The candidate was raised by his father and stepmother following his parents' divorce when he was three years old. Opinion polls show El-Sayed holds a 2.6 percentage point lead, though Steve Mitchell warned that weaker support among Jewish and Black voters could cost him as many as 20,000 votes.
A September Emerson College poll indicated El-Sayed had 81% support among Black voters, who comprise about 25% of Michigan Democrats. Jocelyn Benson scored 4 percentage points higher than El-Sayed in that same poll.
Former President Barack Obama endorsed El-Sayed and is scheduled to campaign with him on 24 October 2026. El-Sayed has campaigned alongside Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Rogers previously lost his 2024 Senate bid to Elissa Slotkin.
