Abdul El-Sayed becomes first Muslim nominated by Democrats for US Senate

Mace calls Muslim officeholders a ‘Trojan horse’ threat to republic

Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary this month made him the first Muslim nominated by the Democratic Party to run for the U.S. Senate. The milestone arrived against a backdrop of what the Associated Press described as “persisting and widespread anti-Muslim sentiment across much of the nation” — awareness that, for many Muslim Americans, tempered the elation of the moment.

Republican figures responded within days of the primary. President Donald Trump and other Republicans began referring to the nominee by his full name, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, while depicting him as a danger to America. U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said in a post on X that “Every single Muslim holding public office in America is a Trojan horse, and a threat to both national security and our republic.”

El-Sayed said such attacks betray a weakness in those who launch them. “We all pray for the same things. … We want what’s good for our kids and our families,” he told MS NOW after his primary victory. “They’re going to use Islamophobia, because their ideas are tired.”