Trump and Rogers Target El-Sayed in Michigan Senate Race

Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed are competing in a bitter open-seat U.S. Senate race in Michigan scheduled for November 3. The contest has intensified along religious and ethnic lines, with Rogers portraying El-Sayed—who would be the first Muslim senator if elected—as an extremist and a threat to Jewish voters.

President Donald Trump escalated the rhetoric by claiming El-Sayed is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, an allegation El-Sayed dismisses as hearsay. Rogers is focusing his efforts on winning over Jewish voters in Oakland County, while partnering with Senator Ted Cruz for campaign events centered on safety and terrorism.

The campaign has sparked a backlash among Arab American leaders in Dearborn and caused divisions within the Democratic party. Some former Trump supporters in the Arab American community have described attacks based on religion as unacceptable. This political friction occurs amid heightened tensions following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, the war in Gaza, and a March attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield.