DETROIT, Mich. (Diya TV) — Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, becoming the first Muslim elected to the Senate. His victory also drew attention to his wife Dr. Sarah Jukaku’s family roots in Bhatkal, a coastal town in Karnataka, India.

El-Sayed, 42, will succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters when the new Congress takes office in January. A physician and former public health official, he campaigned on Medicare for All, reducing corporate influence in elections and lowering costs for working families. He also opposed U.S. military aid to Israel, a position that became a central point of debate during the campaign.

During his victory speech, El-Sayed recalled saying “inshallah,” meaning “God willing,” when people asked whether he would win. After the race was called, he said he could replace it with “alhamdulillah,” or “praise be to God.”

He also addressed children who had watched the campaign and parents who had to explain attacks on his name and religion. El-Sayed urged them to remember that “the bad guys lost.” President Donald Trump and other Republicans questioned his loyalty and alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed denied those allegations.

El-Sayed answered some of the attacks with humor. He addressed Vice President JD Vance as “habibi,” an Arabic term of affection, then joked that Vance would have to swear him into office. El-Sayed capped the remark with a reference to the Michigan–Ohio State rivalry: “Wolverine one, Buckeye zero.” He also told Trump that the president could call him “senator” if he continued to struggle with his name.

The race followed a divisive Democratic primary, which El-Sayed won against U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens. In the general election, Rogers, a former congressman and FBI agent, criticized El-Sayed’s views on Israel and other issues. El-Sayed focused his campaign on health care, household costs and campaign finance.

Jukaku’s family history reaches back to Bhatkal, about 140 kilometers north of Mangaluru. Her grandfather, Jukaku Shamshuddin, was a lawyer who served as deputy finance minister in the former Mysore State government under B.D. Jatti in the 1950s. Residents credit him with helping develop Bhatkal’s roads, electricity and educational institutions. Several of his descendants later settled in Bengaluru.

Jukaku’s father, Dr. Tayeb Jukaku, studied medicine at Bangalore Medical College before settling in Michigan in the 1980s and becoming a kidney specialist. Sarah Jukaku studied sociology and Near Eastern studies at the University of Michigan, earned a master’s degree at Oxford and received her medical degree from Columbia University. She works as a psychiatrist.

The couple met as University of Michigan students and married in 2006. They have two daughters and live in Ann Arbor. Jukaku joined her husband on the campaign trail, including at his final rally before Election Day.

El-Sayed’s victory keeps Michigan’s Senate seat in Democratic hands and marks a milestone for Muslim representation in Congress. Jukaku’s family history adds another dimension to the story, linking the historic win to a town on India’s west coast.