'Bad guys lost': Abdul El-Sayed's first reaction after historic win, says we turned 'inshallah' into 'Alhamdulillah'

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has won the Michigan Senate race, and has defeated Republican Mike Rogers in the US midterm election results declared on Wednesday (Nov 4). With this victory, Abdul El-Sayed made history as he will be first Muslim American elected to the US Senate. In his victory speech, he said that the “bad guys lost.” He also said that this victory showed that “many won, and money lost.” Mocking US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, he pointed out the supreme irony that their administration will be swearing him in this January.

Beginning his speech with "Michigan, we did it!" El-Sayed said: "I am so proud and honored to stand here as your senator-elect from the great state of Michigan." “Michigan, I can't wait to serve you. Tonight we defeated a machine. They spent $350 million to defeat us. We showed them, in the battle of money and the many, the many can win. Let them know: 'The bad guys lost.' We won.” He also said: “Tonight, we can turn that 'inshallah' into an 'alhamdulillah. This is for the right-wing ops. That just means 'praise be to God.'”

Continuing his attack on the Trump administration, he said, “The opposition tried to divide us amid the oil crisis, instead of trying to unite us. They pointed to my name and religion, but my religion is not the reason you can't afford gas and diesel. They weren't targeting me—they were targeting the idea of America. They wanted an America that is too small for us; we want an America that is big enough for all of us. I love America enough to ask it to be all of our America.” Mocking Trump for targeting his name, he said that the US president should simply call him “Senator” after his swearing-in.

Targeting Vice President Vance, he said: “JD, habibi, it is an irony—you are constitutionally obligated to swear me in, in January. Donald, I know you struggle with my name, so when JD swears me in, you can call me 'Senator.' May we never have to see the likes of you in Michigan again.”

Michigan Senate race

This was one of the most closely watched race in the US Midterm Elections 2026. Rogers was backed by US President Donald Trump. Rogers and El Sayed clashed in a high-stakes televised debate covering key economic and foreign policy pressures, including inflation and gas prices, international trade tariffs, and the impact of economic relations with Canada. The race also drew substantial national investment, with Republican groups spending roughly $104 million compared to $55 million by Democratic organisations. El-Sayed secured the Democratic nomination after narrowly defeating moderate US Representative Haley Stevens in a closely contested primary.

Trump vs Obama over Abdul El-Sayed

While Trump made the Michigan Senate campaign heavily focused on Abdul El-Sayed by escalating anti-Muslim rhetoric, urging Jewish voters against supporting him, and calling him a "jihadist." Trump further stirred controversy by comparing El-Sayed to the September 11 Flight 93 attackers and mockingly referring to him as "Mohammed," drawing widespread accusations of Islamophobia and racism. In response, Barack Obama joined El-Sayed at a high-stakes Detroit rally to condemn these personal attacks on his name and faith, defense-linking them to his own birther conspiracy experience and declaring that El-Sayed "is as Michigan as it gets."