Ro Khanna hails Abdul El-Sayed’s Michigan win
Our Bureau
Washington, DC
US Congressman Ro Khanna of the Democratic Party on Wednesday (local time) welcomed Abdul El-Sayed’s projected victory in Michigan’s Senate race, stating that the result demonstrated how a bold progressive agenda could succeed across the country.
In a post on X, Khanna said, “Abdul’s win shows a bold progressive agenda can win anywhere. Proud to have endorsed him on Day 1.”
In a video attached to the post, Khanna said, “Abdul El-Sayed is likely to become the first Muslim American senator from Michigan. This is huge news for the progressive movement. He ran on Medicare for All. He ran calling out the genocide. He ran on taxing billionaires. And he won a swing state.”
“This shows if Abdul can win in Michigan, progressives can win across the country. The establishment cannot tell us we are not electable,” he added.
Abdul El-Sayed took to the stage in Michigan to claim victory in a fiercely competitive Senate race. While CBS News held off on making an official call, Fox News Decision Desk projected that El-Sayed would defeat Republican Mike Rogers to secure the state’s Senate seat. The projected victory would make him the first Muslim elected to the United States Senate.
Addressing an enthusiastic gathering of supporters, a jubilant El-Sayed declared: “Michigan, we did it!”
Expressing deep gratitude, he shared that he was “so proud and honoured” to claim the mantle of senator-elect, acknowledging the uphill battle of his campaign.
“You took a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates, so thank you,” he told the crowd, adding, “This is all yours.”
Reflecting on the campaign trail, El-Sayed thanked voters for opening their churches, synagogues and homes to him.
“Thank you for your trust and your belief and your kindness,” he stated, noting, “I’m going to take it all with me and I hope to bring back the kind of leadership that more than earns it.”
Meanwhile, Khanna also congratulated Democratic candidate William Lawrence, who was leading in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District race, and praised his grassroots campaign.
“So proud to have endorsed you and campaigned for you. You built a grassroots movement!” Khanna said in another post on X.
In a post on X, Lawrence said, “Mid-Michigan, we did this together. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”
Lawrence, an American politician, community organiser and progressive activist, is the US Representative-elect for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District.
According to NBC News results, Lawrence was leading Republican incumbent Tom Barrett with 201,719 votes, or 51 per cent, against Barrett’s 189,203 votes, or 47.8 per cent. Independent candidate Shane Dedrick secured 4,963 votes, or 1.3 per cent.
With 96.2 per cent of expected votes counted, approximately 16,000 votes remained. NBC News estimated that Barrett would need to win 89.2 per cent of the remaining votes to catch or overtake Lawrence.
The New York Times’ live results also showed Lawrence leading Barrett by the same margin, with 95 per cent of votes counted. However, the Associated Press had not called the congressional race at the time of reporting.
According to Fox News data, four key voting blocs — young people, independents, rural voters and Hispanic voters — pivoted away from the GOP in substantial numbers. Voter dissatisfaction was heavily fuelled by economic friction, including inflation and Trump’s tariff policies, alongside blowback over the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
This widespread voter realignment enabled Democrats to pierce traditionally steadfast Republican strongholds, securing a Senate seat in South Carolina and a historic victory in Kansas that broke nearly a century of conservative dominance, mirroring the monumental win in Texas, which had not voted Democrat since 1994. CNN reported that voters also weighed concerns regarding presidential conduct and perceptions of personal enrichment as central issues at the ballot box.