Who is Abdul El-Sayed, the Democrat who could become the first Muslim US senator

Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's Democratic Senate primary after defeating Haley Stevens and will face Republican Mike Rogers in a race with national significance.

Abdul El-SayedAbdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan, speaks during a primary election night event at the Majestic Theatre in Detroit. (AP Photo)

Political outsider Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official, has sent tremors through the Democratic Party after winning the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan and exposing the party’s bitter divisions ahead of the Midterm elections in the US. If elected to the Senate, the son of Egyptian immigrants, Abdul, would become the first Muslim senator.

Abdul, 41, who comes from Ann Arbour, Michigan, narrowly defeated four-term US Representative Haley Stevens. Abdul would now face a Trump-backed Republican, Mike Rogers, who ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. After winning the primary, Abdul, in his first remarks, said: “Tomorrow we begin to mend fences.”

Abdul El-Sayed Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a news conference at the Spirit of Detroit shortly after winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Michigan, in Detroit. (AP Photo)

Abdul has been able to generate support from the left wing by endorsing calls for universal healthcare, abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and ending unconditional US military aid to Israel. He has garnered support from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and other left-wing leaders, New York Times reported.

After winning the Democratic primary on Wednesday, Abdul said, “In the words of Mohammad Ali, ‘We shook up the world,'” quoting the renowned boxer’s announcement after his defeat of Sonny Liston in 1964, BBC reported.

“The movement to get money out of politics, put money in your pocket, and pass Medicare for All is a big movement,” Abdul added.

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