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Archive photo · 26 July 2025Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Seat, Calls JD Vance “Habibi” In Victory Speech
“took a playful dig at US Vice President JD Vance”
“joked about the prospect of Vance swearing him in to office in January”
Photo: Chris Woodrich, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate seat, becoming the first Muslim U.S. senator. He called Vice President JD Vance 'habibi' during his victory speech.
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Michigan victory, Arabic jab
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat and used the Arabic term “habibi” for Vice President JD Vance during his election night victory speech in Detroit.
El-Sayed told supporters, “JD, habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you're constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January,” and he laughed as the audience cheered.
El-Sayed then framed the moment as a constitutional reversal, saying, “Oh JD, my dear, the funny paradox is that you are constitutionally required to take the oath to me in January.”
El-Sayed’s remarks came after he defeated Republican Mike Rogers, and the sources describe the win as making him the first Muslim senator in the United States Senate.
Campaign attacks and meaning
Fox 2 Detroit described El-Sayed and Vance as political rivals, saying Vance called El-Sayed “very, very evil” and President Donald Trump described him as a “jihadist.” El-Sayed’s “habibi” line drew attention to the word’s meaning, and the San Luis Obispo Tribune said it is “an Arabic word meaning my love or my sweetheart.”
El-Sayed also used the speech to address Trump’s difficulties with his name, and the sources quote him saying, “Donald, I know you are having trouble pronouncing my name.” The Columbus Dispatch reported that El-Sayed also added, “Wolverine: 1, Buckeye: 0,” tying the exchange to the University of Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State University Buckeyes.
What changes next
El-Sayed’s victory is described as a shift in representation, with France 24 saying he became the first Muslim elected to the upper chamber of Congress and the Hill noting he became the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.
The Hill said El-Sayed taunted Vance again with the “delicious irony” of being sworn in, quoting him: “JD, habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you’re constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January.”
The Hill also said El-Sayed would succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters, keeping the seat in Democratic hands after a contentious Senate contest.
El-Sayed’s remarks are positioned by the sources as part of a broader political confrontation, with the Hill quoting him: “Donald, I know you struggle with my name, so after JD swears me in in January, you can go on and call me senator.”