Abdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim senator to win from Michigan, defeating Republican’s Mike Rogers in US Midterm Election Results 2026. Sayed received 22.07 lakh votes (51.97 per cent), while Republican’s Mike Rogers bagged 19.55 lakh (19,55,024) votes, as per 85 per cent of the votes counted. 42-year-old El-Sayed of Egyptian descent is a public health advocate. He previously led the health department in Detroit and Wayne County in southeast Michigan.
Who is Abdul El-Sayed?
El-Sayed studied medicine at University of Michigan and Columbia University and earned a doctorate at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. Sayed is married to Sarah Jakaku, whose parents are of Indian descent. Sayed called himself a capitalist, his campaign focused on cost of living and other issues, influenced by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s campaign last year.
He campaigned on “Medicare for All”, ending military aid to Israel and campaign finance reform. Sayed entered the political race seven years after losing Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial primary by more than 20 percentage points. Sayed retreated into the political wilderness after losing the 2018 Democratic primary for governor to Gretchen Whitmer. He started a podcast, wrote a book and became a regular presence on YouTube and television.
Indian-American Pia Dandiya wins US House of Representatives from Florida
Indian-American Democrat Pia Dandiya has won the election to the US House of Representatives from Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, defeating Republican candidate Casey Askar. Dandiya, a former high school principal, secured 51.9 per cent of the votes, while Askar received 49.1 per cent, according to US midterm election results declared on Tuesday. According to her campaign website, Dandiya is a first-generation American who has focused her career on strengthening communities through her work as a high school principal, policy leader, and technology innovator.
Born and raised in Palm Beach County, Florida, Dandiya began her career as a teacher before serving as a high school principal in Harlem, New York. She later founded a high school aimed at improving opportunities for low-income students and helping them achieve economic independence.The campaign website states that every graduate of the school secured admission to college, despite 86 per cent of its students coming from low-income households. Dandiya became the school’s founding principal at the age of 28, making her one of the youngest high school principals in the country.
–With AP Inputs.
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Indian-American Pia Dandiya wins US House of Representatives from Florida, defeats Republican Casey Askar