Signs of life have emerged from the oft-discouraging landscape of American politics.
For one, Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat, has defeated Mike Rogers, a Trump-endorsed Republican, in Michigan. Per the latest Associated Press numbers as of this writing, El-Sayed clinched the win with 52.5 percent of the vote.
Addressing supporters after the victory, El-Sayed, who boasted an endorsement from former POTUS Barack Obama during the race, said he was “so proud and honored” to serve the people of Michigan.
“Up until right about now, you might have noticed I always said ‘inshallah,’ or ‘God willing,’ whenever the outcome of this race was mentioned,” he said. “But today, tonight, we can turn that ‘inshallah’ into a ‘alhamdulillah.’ For the right-wing ops, that just means ‘Praise be to God.’”
El-Sayed, notably, will make history as the first-ever Muslim senator in U.S. history once he assumes office. During his speech, El-Sayed noted the “delicious irony” of the fact that Vice President JD Vance is “constitutionally obligated” to swear him in come January.
“The bad guys lost,” he said elsewhere in his speech, seen in full above.
In a separate post-victory statement shared to the platform formerly known as Twitter, El-Sayed reiterated that it will be an “honor” and a “privilege” to represent Michigan.
“We did what they said couldn’t be done,” he added. “We won. Together. Now the real work begins.”
In an ad released on Election Day (Nov. 3), El-Sayed’s team used fellow Michigander Eminem’s 2010 hit “Not Afraid,” a noteworthy inclusion given that Kid Rock, with whom Em recently collaborated, has made widely criticized remarks about the newly elected senator.
