The Senate is about to get its first Muslim senator in Abdul El-Sayed, who won by an astounding seven points in Michigan despite polls suggesting the race would be neck and neck.
Already, the senator-elect is gloating, firing a shot at Vice President JD Vance, who is set to swear him into the now Democratic-controlled upper chamber. The pair have been trading blows online for several months.
In his victory speech, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed addressed Vice President JD Vance, saying, “There is this delicious irony in the fact that you're constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January.” For months, Vance and El-Sayed have traded barbs on the campaign trail. https://t.co/xfWGH5zUb5
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) November 4, 2026
"JD, Habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you're constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January," El-Sayed said. "So you know that means Wolverine one, Buckeye zero."
The feud really picked up in late August, when Vance said the Democrat Party was no longer the party his grandfather knew, taking aim at El-Sayed’s alleged support for sharia law. El-Sayed fired back that he wasn’t sure Vance would take his wife, who is of Indian descent, back in time to meet his “papaw,” a not-so-subtle suggestion that Vance’s family was racist. Vance replied by telling the Michigan Democrat to keep his wife's name out of his mouth.
From there, it continued to get more personal. In separate social media spats, Vance called El-Sayed a “weasel,” told him to “shut his mouth,” and mocked his “patchy beard.” He also questioned his American roots and loyalty, accused him of hating white people, and suggested he had no love for Michigan or America. El-Sayed responded by bringing the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry into it, calling himself a “f****** Wolverine” and telling Vance where he could shove his Buckeye. He followed that up with nicknames like “Low T, JD” and “JV Dance,” mocked the vice president’s charisma and energy, and invited him to the weight room to settle who was stronger.
The race between El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers was expected to be neck and neck Tuesday night. Instead, Rogers got blown out of the water by the Muslim socialist, something conservatives just didn’t think was possible.
While El-Sayed may have won this round, it remains unclear who will have the last laugh between Vance and the senator-elect.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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