Students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor are celebrating after Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, a contest that drew intense national attention and heavy outside spending.
“Everyone’s excited,” said Affaan Shaik, a freshman studying pre-med at the university. “Everyone I’ve spoken to, everyone I’ve seen — like last night we were all watching the election. And everyone’s just rooting for Abdul, and that’s the vibe right now.”
The win comes after a tense period on the Ann Arbor campus, which recently drew national headlines when a video showed conservative Jewish activist Lizzy Benichou shoved to the ground and kicked during a free-speech event that turned into a physical confrontation over Islam and Iranian women’s rights. Campus police took the student involved into custody.
Despite that charged backdrop, El-Sayed’s victory showed he could withstand Republican efforts to paint him as representative of the party’s far left.
A Detroit victory speech with national echoes
In his victory speech in Detroit early Wednesday morning, El-Sayed took aim at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which spent roughly $42 million opposing him during his August Democratic primary win over U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens. Celebrating the result, El-Sayed used the Arabic phrase “Alhamdulillah,” meaning “Praise be to God.”
He also directed pointed remarks at Rogers, the former Republican congressman he defeated. “Enjoy your retirement,” El-Sayed said. “You chose hate, and Michigan chose hope. May we never have to see the likes of you in this state again.”
Students cite inclusion, economic worries
Isabelle, a junior studying movement science, said Rogers’ campaign struck many students as exclusionary. “I feel like [El-Sayed] ran a very good election, and the opponent’s policies tended to be a lot more full of hate and less inclusion for everyone here,” she said. “The University of Michigan is a very inclusive university where that’s really important, so I think that especially resonated with a lot of the students here.”
Other students pointed to economic anxiety as a driving force behind youth turnout. A student named Hernandez said young voters want results, not rhetoric. “They’re feeling happy because what they wanted is coming,” Hernandez said. “I just really hope that we actually see something, and it’s not just nothing happens from this.”
Stephanie Brooks, a staff member at the School for Environment and Sustainability, said many students are worried about entering a difficult job market. “I think students are kind of scared of the future. They’re here to plan their lives and enter into the real world,” Brooks said. “I think a lot of them were really nervous in this current environment about what their future was going to look like. I think Abdul provided a lot of hope, security, and trust in that way.”
A student named Kabir connected the enthusiasm to rising costs nationally. “I think … what we see around the country in terms of rising prices and all that stuff, I think a progressive who promises things to our people that we want is going to be successful,” Kabir said.
A hometown connection
Several students said El-Sayed’s local roots mattered. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 2007. “I love Abdul El-Sayed,” Shaik said. “Being a Michigan alumnus feels really nice. He was around campus the other day and I got a chance to meet him. It feels good to be around someone who feels very close and connected with.”
Brooks agreed that the connection resonated with younger voters. “He really motivated a lot of young people, and the fact that he was a U-M grad helped a lot,” she said.
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