Democrat socialist Abdul el-Sayed, fighting Wednesday in a tight race against Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., for the party’s nomination for Senate, has invoked an Islamic prayer for his campaign.
El-Sayed addressed the crowd regarding the outcome, saying, “Inshallah,” which is taken from the Quran and generally is understood to mean “if god wills” and recognizing that all outcomes are determined by Allah.
Several publications said the race involving the leftist, formerly a county health chief, was too close to call, but El-Sayed himself claimed victory. The Democratic primary winner will face Republican Mike Rogers.
The Wednesday morning margin saw El-Sayed at 48.5% of the vote and Stevens at 47.5%, with 99% of the vote counted.
At 10 a.m. Eastern, the Associated Press and Fox News called the race for El-Sayed with a thin margin of just 14,893 votes.
Polls just days ago incorrectly had claimed El-Sayed would win by double digits.
🇺🇸 The projected winner of a seat in the Senate for Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, just invoked “Inshallah” for what happens if he wins it.
When less than 2.5% of Michigan’s population is Muslim, it’s fair to ask whether that’s the message most voters expect from someone seeking to…
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 5, 2026
Scott Jennings says Democrats just handed Republicans their dream opponent in Michigan.
Jennings there “won’t be a brighter line” in the country than between Democrat socialist Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers.
JENNINGS: “Well, look, you never take anything for… pic.twitter.com/3MB8ls0Nwx
— Overton (@overton_news) August 5, 2026
Stevens was considered a more centrist candidate; El-Sayed the extreme in a Democrat Party that has lost multiple races to the far-left, giving up any claim to represent the mainstream.
El-Sayed, not a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, still draws supporting from that agenda, including high-profile members such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who campaigned for him.
El-Sayed also has faced criticism for his virulent anti-Israel rhetoric. He’s accused Israel of genocide.
He also was caught suggesting a threat to the wider Democrat party, stating, “If I win … well, y’all came at me, so now I get to come at you, and, you know, primarying people like John Fetterman, I have no problem to do that. Ideally, you put one ogre on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message, and all of a sudden starts to sound a lot different.”
