The former public health administrator campaigned on a left-wing platform that included universal health care and a wealth tax on billionaires.
The win comes days after El-Sayed’s Democratic primary rival, Haley Stevens, endorsed Rogers, the Republican candidate, just days before the election.
El-Sayed’s supporters gave deafening cheers when he took to the stage, as they chanted his name in jubilation. A sea of iPhones were held up to take in this moment of history – a Muslim man elected to the Senate.
Several people in the crowd embraced, filled with emotion. They repeated his slogan back to him like they were at a concert: “Money out of politics, money in your pocket and Medicare for all.”
On the campaign trail, El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, described Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide and called for an end to US aid to the country.
The issue carries particular resonance in Michigan, which is home to the second largest Arab-American population in the US.
It also fuelled tensions between El-Sayed and Stevens, a staunch supporter of Israel, whose primary campaign received millions of dollars in backing from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac).
The contest was widely seen as a test of the political influence of the Democratic left in a key battleground state, following a series of primary wins by democratic socialist candidates in more politically favoured districts.
El-Sayed thanked the crowd in the early hours of Wednesday morning for taking a chance on “the unlikeliest of candidates”, saying his win was theirs. He told the crowd the campaign against him had been one of the ugliest seen in their lifetime.