Abdul El-Sayed Wins in Michigan as First Muslim US Senator, Drawing Mixed Reaction from Jewish Leaders

Abdul El-Sayed has been elected senator in Michigan. His victory is a historic milestone as the first Muslim elected to the United States Senate, but it has drawn mixed reactions from Jewish leaders and Jewish Democrats in the state. Some have expressed optimism and a willingness to work with him, while others say their concerns remain.

Steven Ingber, chief executive of the Jewish Federation of Detroit, said the federation congratulates all winners and will work with all winners. In his words, the Jewish voice and the Jewish vote are not monolithic — people vote on every side of the aisle in every election. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the federation cannot endorse or oppose any candidate; instead it works with elected officials from across the political spectrum on behalf of Jewish communities.

For Ingber, it is natural for people to have different reactions to an election, something he said has happened before and will likely happen again. He said the point is unity — there will be another election in two years, and there was one two years ago; people were upset then and people were happy then. America will go on, and that is the beauty of the system.

Throughout his campaign, however, El-Sayed faced criticism from Jewish leaders and voters over his stance on Israel and his ties to controversial figures. One remark in particular struck many Jews the wrong way: his response to the March 2026 attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

According to the FBI, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali drove a truck containing commercial-grade fireworks and containers of flammable liquid into Temple Israel on March 12. Ghazali died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound during an exchange of gunfire with synagogue security personnel. Following the attack, El-Sayed said, 'Hurt people, hurt people,' drawing criticism. He later apologised and said his comments might have been misconstrued as justifying something he did not intend to justify.

Democratic strategist Julian Epstein said Democrats have been inconsistent when opposing bigotry, particularly when Jews are the targets. In his words, if you believe in civil rights, pluralism and dignity for all, you cannot stand against bigotry for one group and accept it for another — then it is not really a belief in civil rights, only in group preferences.

Epstein predicted that El-Sayed's victory could mean a broader shift among Jewish voters, who have long been a reliable Democratic base. In his view, Jewish voters will start leaving the Democratic Party, because why would they stick with a party that openly tolerates hate directed at them?

The Detroit chapter of the American Jewish Committee (AJC Detroit) acknowledged the historic significance of El-Sayed's election as the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate, but also expressed concern about his public statements.

In its statement, AJC Detroit said it recognises the historic significance of Dr. El-Sayed becoming the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate, a milestone that reflects the promise of American democracy. Unfortunately, it said, this historic moment has been tarnished by the senator-elect's continued anti-Israel rhetoric, which alienates countless Jewish Michiganders and other supporters of the State of Israel and endangers American Jews.

The statement added that as a U.S. senator, El-Sayed will have the responsibility to represent all Michiganders. The senator-elect proclaimed that America is 'big enough for all of us,' but his repeated hostility toward Israel told many Jewish Michiganders and countless others who support Israel that they are not included, it said.

Despite the concerns, Ingber urged community leaders to continue calling out antisemitism regardless of which party is responsible. In his words, antisemitism is coming at us from both sides, from the far left and the far right; neither is better or worse. Antisemitism is not a Jewish problem, it is an American problem. He said Jewish Americans should not retreat from public Jewish life because of rising antisemitism or political divisions. The El-Sayed campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.