The name game: Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate bid tests the limits of US politics

El-Sayed, El-Sayeed, El-Sayad – for months, Abdul El-Sayed, an Egyptian American running for the US Senate for Michigan, has had his name mispronounced, sometimes deliberately.

US President Donald Trump has frequently mocked his name and said he would call him "Mohammed".

He has also faced relentless attacks over his Muslim faith and accusations of having ties to Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and Hezbollah – allegations he has vehemently denied.

“I'm here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator,” Mr Trump said at a rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday.

“And nine days from now, the people of Michigan are going to defeat Abdul Mohammed, I'll say it, a man who should never be allowed inside the halls of our great, beautiful Capitol building.”

Show caption: US President Donald Trump and former Representative Mike Rog…

Mr El-Sayed, 41, a progressive candidate and physician, will face Mike Rogers, a Republican ally of Mr Trump, on November 3. If victorious, Mr El-Sayed will become the first Muslim to serve in the US Senate.

Michigan is one of the most closely watched and hotly contested states in the midterm elections.

The result of the race could help determine control of the Senate, where Republicans currently have a thin majority. At stake is Mr Trump's ability to advance his legislative agenda during his remaining two years in office.

Michigan, experts say, is the quintessential purple state, a mix of Republican red and Democrat blue. Mr Trump has won it twice, but the last time a Republican won a Senate seat there was in 1994.

It is also home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the US, a key constituency for Mr El-Sayed.

The Israel question

Mr El-Sayed, whose full first name is Abdelrahman, is a former public health official and his campaign has focused on universal health care and higher taxes for the wealthiest Americans.

“He's an incredibly skilled debater, very effective on the stump, and he has a great command of social media,” said Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist. “I'm still concerned that independent voters aren't going to buy it, but we'll see.”

Foreign policy has taken on unusual prominence in the race, becoming a fault line in a bitter debate over Israel and the war with Iran. The issue intersects with domestic concerns over inflation, petrol prices and the use of taxpayer money.

Mr El-Sayed has described Israel's conduct in Gaza as genocide and opposes more military aid to America's long-time ally, breaking with the pro-Israel stance long associated with the Democratic establishment. He has said the US should instead prioritise domestic needs, such as education.

In recent weeks, he has said Israel should not be considered a US ally, as its government drew Washington into the war with Iran.

Show caption: A Likud Party election billboard with Israeli Prime Minister…

His opponent, Mr Rogers, 63, is a former US Army officer and FBI agent. He served in the US House of Representatives until 2015.

He has campaigned on bringing manufacturing jobs back to Michigan and lowering the cost of food, petrol and everyday items. But his close alignment with Mr Trump has undermined his message.

Mr Rogers is a strong supporter of Israel and backs continued US military aid, saying Israel has the right to defend itself against regional threats.

The latest polls show the two candidates are neck and neck. They also indicate that Michigan voters, like voters across much of the country, are primarily focused on the economy and the high cost of living.

“Trump is a vulnerability, gas prices are a vulnerability,” John Feehery, a Republican strategist, told The National. “It's not an easy state for Republicans to win, but if they do win it, it shows that they have a lasting coalition that can be successful."

Aipac setback

In a surprising turn, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the most powerful pro-Israel lobby in the US, said last week it would no longer endorse candidates or make direct campaign contributions.

Instead, the group will continue operating through its affiliated super Political Action Committee, the United Democracy Project.

The development comes amid growing criticism of Aipac, particularly within the Democratic Party, and declining support for Israel among Americans after the war in Gaza.

Aipac's involvement in the Michigan race has been particularly contentious. Its super Pac spent more than $30 million seeking to defeat Mr El-Sayed in the Democratic primary and backing Representative Haley Stevens, a staunch supporter of Israel.

Show caption: Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Grand…

It was the organisation's largest single investment in a contest.

Mr El-Sayed won the nomination in August, dealing a major setback to the pro-Israel lobby.

Mr Rogers was initially wary of Aipac's involvement, amid concerns that the group's unpopularity could hurt his campaign. He later publicly welcomed its support.

Last week, Aipac directed about $9 million to a group supporting Mr Rogers in a last-minute effort to boost his campaign, according to The Washington Post. The money was reported as independent political spending rather than a direct contribution to his campaign.

'The moment we've all been waiting for'

During a forum in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Monday, Mr El-Sayed spoke about promoting universal health care, tackling rising prices, slowing the proliferation of AI to protect jobs and raising taxes on billionaires. He also called for an end to unconditional foreign military aid.

“It shouldn't be this hard in the richest, most powerful country in the world to afford a tank of gas or a second bag of groceries,” he told a cheering crowd.

Mr El-Sayed was joined on stage by Independent Senator Bernie Sanders.

“They can't debate Abdul on the issues, so what they are doing is attacking him because he is a Muslim,” Mr Sanders said.

Hundreds of people, mostly university students, gathered in the auditorium. Most said they were drawn to Mr El-Sayed's domestic policy proposals.

“I skipped class for this,” said Cal Karbowski, 20, a university student. He said he supported Mr El-Sayed's positions on health care and reproductive rights.

But it is not just Mr Sanders – establishment Democrats are starting to fall in behind Mr El-Sayed as well. Last month, former vice president Kamala Harris campaigned with Mr El-Sayed in Detroit in a bid to unite Democrats behind his campaign.

The move angered some of his supporters, who blame Mr Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, for the war in Gaza, but the move underscored the party's efforts to bridge divisions over the issue.

On Saturday, Mr Obama headlined a rally with Mr El-Sayed, in a major breakthrough for the campaign.

Show caption: Former President Barack Obama joins Democratic candidates Jo…

“We have seen this movie before. I starred in it,” Mr Obama said, referring to the attacks he faced over claims that he was Muslim, although he is not, and that he was not born in the US and therefore ineligible to be president.

“This stuff didn’t work on me – not in Michigan. It’s not going to work on Abdul.”

For Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, the endorsements are a decisive moment.

“This is vice president Harris, this is former president Obama, putting their stamp of approval on Dr Abdul El-Sayed and the things he's advocating for and fighting for,” Mr Hammoud told The National. “He's not changing or shifting his policies to accommodate those who want to endorse him. And I think that's really meaningful.”

Abdelhalim Abdelrahman, a journalist who was born and raised in Michigan, went a step further.

“This is the moment we've all been waiting for, where pro-Israel establishment politicians are now rallying around a progressive Muslim American who is critical of Israel and actually is championing working-class issues through his own progressive policies," he said.

Mohammed Qazzaz, a resident of Dearborn, put it more succinctly: “I hope he wins, because I really don't like the other guy.”

Apart from the debate over Israel, a defining point of contention during Mr El-Sayed's campaign has been his faith.

Sahar Aziz, a Rutgers University law professor and author of The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes Religious Freedom, said Republican political messaging during this election cycle had increasingly relied on anti-Muslim stereotypes, portraying Muslim candidates as threats to democracy, potential extremists or inherently disloyal.

Democratic leaders, she added, had done little to counter the stance.

“The reason Republicans can continue to do this unashamedly is that there hasn't been pushback. There hasn't been political accountability,” Ms Aziz said.

Still, she sees hope in a younger generation of American-born Muslims who are refusing to accept the status quo and working towards change.

“They're saying, ‘No, I will run for office, and I will use this opportunity to educate constituents about this form of hate, as well as focus on the policies'.”

Mr El-Sayed appears to be seizing that chance.

“I don't care how he pronounces my name,” he said of Mr Trump. “Because he can just go on and call me Senator after November.”