Michigan voters are casting their ballots in a charged, closely watched race that could make Democrat Abdul El-Sayed the first Muslim in the United States Senate and help decide control of the chamber.
uncertain
Sayed → cast → chamber
Mike Rogers, his Republican opponent, cast his ballot at a polling station in White Lake, Michigan hours after polls opened.
asserted
polls → cast → Lake
El-Sayed had already had his vote submitted and counted through an absentee ballot before Election Day.
asserted
vote → have → Day
Recommended Stories
list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Voting underway in closely contested US midterm elections 2026
- list 2 of 3In Pictures: US midterm elections in 20 photos
- list 3 of 3US midterm voting begins in high-stakes test of Trump’s presidency
asserted
voting → contest → presidency
The two candidates seek to fill the seat of retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters.
asserted
candidates → seek → Peters
A final New York Times/Siena poll placed El-Sayed 11 points ahead of Rogers going into the election.
asserted
poll → place → election
Polls opened at 7am local time (12:00 GMT) and close at 8pm (01:00 GMT on Wednesday).
asserted
Polls → open → Wednesday
If the race is close, it may not be called until later on Wednesday.
uncertain
it → call → Wednesday
The US Department of Justice has announced that election monitors will be present at the polls in Michigan and all 50 other states, a first in US history.
asserted
monitors → announce → history
El-Sayed, a Muslim born to Egyptian parents, is the former head of Detroit’s health department and has campaigned on progressive policies such as Medicare for All.
asserted
Sayed → bear → All
Rogers, a former congressman and close ally of US President Donald Trump, is seeking to come back after a narrow loss to a Democrat in a 2024 Senate race.
asserted
Rogers → seek → race
Democrats need to gain four seats in Tuesday’s midterm elections to wrest back the Senate from Republicans and rein in Trump.
asserted
Democrats → need → Trump
The race is also seen as a test of whether a progressive who openly criticises Israel can win in a swing state.
asserted
who → see → state
Both candidates made a final push on social media as voting got under way.
asserted
voting → make → way
“It’s time.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
It’s up to us to show the country what’s possible.
asserted
what → ’ → country
The world is watching,” El-Sayed wrote, sharing an upbeat campaign video that features former US President Barack Obama.
asserted
that → watch → Obama
Rogers posted a video that featured interviews with supporters, one of whom called El-Sayed an “extremist”.
asserted
one → post → Sayed
“We have a state to save”, the post read.
asserted
post → have → state
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer gave a firm endorsement of El-Sayed after casting his own ballot in New York’s race.
asserted
Schumer → give → race
“There are millions of Michiganders whose number one issue is getting their costs down,” said Schumer.
asserted
Schumer → be → costs
“Abdul El-Sayed is … talking to the people about those issues and doing things about them …
asserted
Sayed → talk → them
He is going to win tonight because he’s talking about what Michiganders care about.”
asserted
Michiganders → go → what
The El-Sayed campaign’s final days were overshadowed by a rift with Congresswoman Haley Stevens, a fellow Democrat whom El-Sayed narrowly defeated in a primary election in August.
asserted
Sayed → overshadow → August
On Sunday, Stevens endorsed Rogers, saying she was “choosing country over hate” and capping off a weeks-long row about El-Sayed’s opposition to US support for Israel.
asserted
she → endorse → Israel
Stevens is a staunch supporter of Israel, and the pro-Israel lobbying group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) spent more than $30m backing her against El-Sayed.
asserted
group → spend → Sayed
A majority of her large donors lined up to support Rogers after her loss, channeling $9m into a Republican group that supports him, according to The New York Times.
uncertain
that → line → Times
El-Sayed, by contrast, has accused Israel of genocide in Gaza and argued that US aid to Israel would be better spent at home.
asserted
aid → accuse → home
Asked by NewsNation on her way in to vote for Rogers whether her change in support was worth it, Stevens replied: “Absolutely.
asserted
Stevens → ask → support
Senate leader Schumer, who had initially backed Stevens, was asked whether her defection could hand the election to Republicans.
uncertain
defection → back → Republicans
“Haley Stevens is one vote,” he replied.
asserted
he → reply → ?
El-Sayed, the Michigan-born son of Egyptian immigrants, has faced persistent attacks on his faith.
asserted
Sayed → bear → faith
Republican Party ads have sought to link him to “terrorism” and radicalism, with Trump joining in the inflammatory rhetoric.
asserted
Trump → seek → rhetoric
The US president has repeatedly called El-Sayed a “jihadist” and a “nasty guy”, mocking his name and repeating an unfounded, widely circulated Republican claim that he belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood.
uncertain
he → call → Brotherhood
Hours before polls opened, Trump once again took aim at El-Sayed, this time in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“Abdul El-Sayed Hates Jews and Hates Blacks.
asserted
Sayed → open → Blacks
Don’t feel bad, he also Hates Whites.
asserted
he → feel → Whites
Only fools would vote for him in the Michigan race for the U.S. Senate!
asserted
fools → vote → Senate
He will, 100%, do you in!
asserted
He → do → you
VOTE FOR MIKE ROGERS,” Trump wrote.
asserted
Trump → vote → ROGERS
The US president also mentioned El-Sayed in a Fox News interview early on Election Day, when he said annual US financial aid to Israel should stop at the end of 2026.
asserted
aid → mention → 2026
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
