Historic Upset in Michigan: Abdul El-Sayed Becomes First Muslim Senate Candidate

In a significant blow to pro-Israel lobbies, Democratic voters in Michigan have chosen Dr. Abdul El-Sayed as their candidate for the US Senate. A physician and former director of public health for Detroit and Wayne County, El-Sayed defeated Michigan Representative Haley Stevens in the primary election.According to Newsweek, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and its allies spent approximately $30 million in an attempt to thwart El-Sayed's candidacy, but to no avail.This election marked the largest expenditure by AIPAC in a single race to date. When factoring in the spending of other external support groups, the total amount spent in favor of Stevens reached an even higher level.An analysis of Federal Election Commission (FEC) records by Newsweek revealed that committees supporting Stevens spent over $54 million.Local news outlet Fox 2 Detroit reported that AIPAC-affiliated spending alone exceeded $46 million.In contrast, El-Sayed spent around $3.2 million on advertisements for his campaign.With this election result, Abdul El-Sayed has become the first Muslim Democrat to be nominated for the US Senate.El-Sayed will face off against Republican Michigan Representative Mike Rogers in the general election in November.