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Saturday, November 7, 2026 — Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed, speaking in Washington, D.C., declared Michigan "the capital of Arab America," telling his audience he was honored to be the next United States senator from the great state of Michigan and drawing a contrast between the nation's capital and his home state.
"D.C. is the capital of the United States of America. But Michigan is the capital of Arab America," El-Sayed said, pointing to Michigan's large Arab American community as he described the state's place in the community.
Dearborn, a Detroit suburb, is widely known as the capital of Arab America, and Michigan is home to roughly 400,000 Arab Americans, about four percent of the state's population.
El-Sayed, a Democrat, defeated Republican Mike Rogers on Tuesday, November 3, to win Michigan's open United States Senate seat. He will become the first Muslim elected to the United States Senate and is due to be sworn in on January 3, 2027, succeeding retiring Senator Gary Peters.
On election night in Detroit, El-Sayed told supporters there was a "delicious irony" in the fact that Vice President JD Vance is constitutionally obligated to swear him in in January, addressing Vance directly as "JD, habibi" — an Arabic term of affection. He also said more than $350 million was spent trying to beat his campaign, including $42 million from AIPAC, and thanked the group for "giving me the opportunity to beat you twice."
El-Sayed, a physician and former Detroit health director, campaigned on expanding government-funded health care, getting money out of politics and addressing the affordability crisis. He overcame a campaign of anti-Muslim attacks, including from President Donald Trump, to win the seat.