Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Democratic primary for Senate in blow to AIPAC

Detroit, Michigan – Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive public health advocate, has won the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate, overcoming more than $60m in campaign spending, mostly from pro-Israel groups.

The Associated Press News Agency and other major outlets called the narrow race for El-Sayed on Wednesday, more than 12 hours after the polls closed. With nearly all the votes counted, El-Sayed had a one percent lead.

The result of the vote, which took place on Tuesday, represents an enormous blow to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which led the way in the effort to defeat El-Sayed, backing his opponent, US Congresswoman Haley Stevens, with more than $30m.

El-Sayed will face former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers in November. The race is considered one of a handful of competitive Senate contests in the November midterms and could determine which party controls the chamber for the rest of President Donald Trump's term.

If El-Sayed – who is of Egyptian descent – wins in November, he would become the first Muslim senator in US history.

Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute, a non-partisan advocacy group that does not endorse candidates, called El-Sayed's victory a "big deal."

She said voters "did not buy" the avalanche of ads that did not talk about policies and only launched negative attacks "about an Arab American Muslim man named Abdul."

"I am thrilled for the rest of the country to learn that Michigan is not going to take it," Berry told Al Jazeera.

The congresswoman is a staunch supporter of Israel, and AIPAC backed her heavily in 2022 to defeat Andy Levin, a progressive Jewish legislator.

Even before his victory was assured, El-Sayed called on his supporters to "begin to mend fences" within the Democratic Party.

"I'm going to ask all of us as we think about where we go from here, always magnanimity in victory," he said.

"Mike – and I know you're listening, Mike – we are coming for you," he said, addressing Rogers.

Polls had suggested that El-Sayed was set for a comfortable win, but Stevens outperformed expectations across the state and had a strong showing in Detroit, Michigan's largest city. The race remained too close to call for hours after the polls closed.

NBC News was the first major network to project El-Sayed as the winner.

As soon as that announcement was made, Mallory McMorrow – a state legislator who was in the US Senate race but dropped out weeks before the elections – endorsed El-Sayed.