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By Andrew Stanton
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Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive public health official, secured the Democratic nomination in Michigan’s Senate race on Tuesday and is set to face off against Republican Mike Rogers in one of the most closely watched races of the 2026 midterm elections.
Michigan Senate Primary Election Results
El-Sayed defeated centrist Representative Haley Stevens in the Michigan primary by less than a single percentage point, according to data from The New York Times. If elected in November, he would become one of the most prominent elected progressives in the country. But he first must win over enough voters in the critical battleground state, roughly evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, in November.
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Who is Abdul El-Sayed's Wife, Sarah Jukaku?
El-Sayed is married to Dr. Sarah Jukaku, a psychiatrist, according to his campaign website.
El-Sayed and Jukaku met during their time at the University of Michigan and were featured in a 2006 article published by the college's student publication The Michigan Daily.
She told The Michigan Daily that they got engaged when she was a freshman. At the time, El-Sayed told the newspaper that being “so willing to commit to marriage is a byproduct of this general self-control” taught by their religion, Islam.
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“I was going to meet one girl and I was going to marry her,” El-Sayed said at the time. “In some senses, I feel like that’s the purest form of a relationship with someone. It cuts out all the B.S.”
Jukaku has been featured in some of El-Sayed’s campaign material, including in a video speaking about support from her union when she had medical complications after childbirth. She was a medical resident at the time. She said she and El-Sayed discuss unions in a positive light.
“You don’t realize you need the union until you need it,” she said. “In my case, having that advocate was really important when I wasn’t sure where to turn.”
In his book, Healing Politics: A Doctor’s Journey into the Heart of Our Political Epidemic, El-Sayed wrote that his wife’s parents emigrated from a village in India and described her “quiet confidence.”
“I struggled to learn who I was,” he wrote. “Sarah did not. She danced with her emotions. I wrestled with mine. And in time she would teach me to dance, awkwardly, with mine too.”
He wrote that it “makes sense” that she became a psychiatrist, “mainlining that quiet security into people struggling through some of the vilest experiences life can offer.”
In a Mother’s Day post, El-Sayed described her as his “rock and the greatest mother to our daughters.”
“We are so blessed to have you,” he wrote.
Newsweek reached out to El-Sayed’s campaign for comment via email.
Does Abdul El-Sayed Have Kids?
El-Sayed has two daughters, Emmalee and Serene, according to his campaign.
What We Know About Abdul El-Sayed's Parents
According to his campaign, El-Sayed was raised by his father, Mohamed, who immigrated to the United States from Egypt, as well as his stepmother Jackie, whose family is from Gratiot County. According to the outlet Arab America, his mother, Dr. Fatten Elkomy, is a nurse practitioner in Missouri.
Abdul El-Sayed vs. Mike Rogers: What Polls Show
El-Sayed advanced to the general election to face off against Rogers, a former congressman, in November.
The latest polling of the Michigan Senate race showed a tight race between El-Sayed and Rogers. A survey from Michigan pollster EPIC-MRA, which surveyed 600 Michiganders from July 24-31, showed Rogers leading El-Sayed by 3 points, 46 percent to 43 percent.
Meanwhile, a Mitchell Research & Communications poll pointed to a tied race; support for each candidate stood at 45 percent. It surveyed 672 likely voters from July 28-29. Another recent poll from the Glengariff Group showed Rogers with a larger lead over El-Sayed, 49 percent to 39 percent. It surveyed 600 likely voters from July 22-24.
The race is a major test for progressives. Although left-leaning candidates have performed well in the primaries, most of their victories have been in districts and states that are not viewed as being competitive for Republicans. Michigan is different. It is a critical battleground carried by Trump in the 2024 election by fewer than 2 points. This means any Democratic candidate is going to need to be able to appeal to independent voters. El-Sayed's candidacy will test whether more progressive Democrats can do so.
El-Sayed’s victory is already a major blow to the Democratic establishment, which largely coalesced around Stevens, who represents the suburbs of Detroit and had raised concerns about El-Sayed’s electability in a general election.
Is Michigan a Blue State?
Michigan has become an electoral battleground over the past decade.
Former President Barack Obama easily won the state twice, by more than 16 points in 2008 and by just under 10 points in 2012. But Trump flipped it in 2016, carrying it by less than half a percentage point.
Trump made gains across the state because of his strong showing among white voters in rural areas who backed Obama. He lost ground in the suburbs around Detroit and parts of Western Michigan around cities like Grand Rapids, but rural gains made up for it. Democrats struggled to win back those rural voters in significant numbers in recent cycles but continued to make gains in the suburbs.
Michigan flipped back to Democrats in 2020, when Biden carried it by just under 2 points. But Trump won it again in 2024 by about 1.4 points—the strongest showing for a Republican presidential candidate since 1988.
At the same time, Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin won an open seat by less than half a percentage point in 2024, defeating Rogers.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gabe Whisnant and Sam Wilson.
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