WASHINGTON — Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary has triggered a sharp shift in the online political debate surrounding his candidacy, with references to his Muslim faith rapidly overtaking earlier attacks focused on his progressive politics.
A Washington Post analysis of thousands of social-media posts, podcasts, newsletters and public statements found that religion became the dominant theme in conservative commentary about El-Sayed within two weeks of his Aug. 4 primary victory. By Aug. 18, nearly one in three posts from right-wing figures discussing El-Sayed mentioned Islam, Muslims or sharia.
The change came after El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens to become the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate. If he wins in November, he would become the first Muslim senator in U.S. history.
A dramatic change in conservative messaging
Before the primary, conservative attacks on El-Sayed generally concentrated on his political ideology.
The former Detroit health official and progressive candidate had been portrayed as a socialist or communist, with opponents focusing on his support for expansive health-care programs, criticism of political money and positions on Israel and the war in Gaza.
After his victory, however, the focus increasingly shifted toward his religion and Arab heritage.
The Post analyzed about 8,800 posts and public statements from prominent figures on the political left and right. Researchers searched for references to El-Sayed and examined terms associated with socialism, communism, Islam, Muslims, terrorism and the Sept. 11 attacks.
The analysis found that references to socialism and communism among conservative posts fell steadily after the primary. By the end of the second week, those subjects accounted for about 23 percent of the relevant mentions.
At the same time, references involving Islam, Muslims or sharia became increasingly common.
The shift illustrates how quickly political messaging can change when a candidate's identity becomes a central part of a general-election campaign.
Tuberville's attack became an early signal
One of the most prominent early attacks came from Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Republican of Alabama.
Hours after El-Sayed's primary victory, Tuberville described him in a social-media post as a “TERRORIST” and “RADICAL ISLAMIST.”
The post was followed by similar attacks from other conservative politicians, commentators and online influencers.
The rhetoric did not remain limited to criticism of El-Sayed's policies. Some commentators began portraying his Muslim identity itself as evidence of extremism.
Carl Higbie, a conservative television host, suggested that electing El-Sayed would mean supporting burqas and mosques. Others linked him to Muslim organizations they characterized as extremist or sympathetic to terrorism, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis associated him with sharia law.
Such claims are part of a broader political pattern in which Muslim candidates are portrayed not simply as politicians with controversial policies but as representatives of a supposedly threatening religious movement.
His full name became a political weapon
Another noticeable feature of the campaign has been the increased use of El-Sayed's full name: Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed.
According to The Post's analysis, references to his full name were uncommon in prominent right-wing online posts before the primary but multiplied into the hundreds afterward.
The use of a candidate's full name is not inherently controversial. But in this context, El-Sayed and his supporters argue that the sudden emphasis is intended to highlight his Muslim and Arab identity and make him appear foreign or threatening to voters.
El-Sayed compared the tactic to Republican efforts to emphasize former President Barack Obama's middle name, Hussein, during political attacks against Obama.
At a rally following his victory, El-Sayed directly addressed Republican nominee Mike Rogers over the issue, saying that if Rogers could not pronounce his name, he should leave it out of his attacks.
Trump joins the attacks
President Donald Trump also criticized El-Sayed following the primary.
Trump described him as a “communist loser” and “radical left socialist.” But on Aug. 8, Trump went further, sharing an image on Truth Social contrasting a photograph of himself and first lady Melania Trump at a 2025 inauguration ball with an image of El-Sayed and his wife, who wears a hijab.
The graphic declared that the photographs represented “Two VERY DIFFERENT America’s.”
Trump later used the word “jihadists” when discussing Democratic candidates during a conversation about Republican strategy for the midterm elections.
The comments have added presidential-level visibility to an already intense online campaign surrounding El-Sayed's religious identity.
Republicans say they are challenging his politics
Republican candidates and organizations have defended their criticism as legitimate scrutiny of El-Sayed's political positions and associations.
Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee, has sought to portray El-Sayed as an extreme progressive candidate.
Rogers has criticized El-Sayed for appearing with Hasan Piker, a controversial left-wing political streamer who has previously faced criticism for remarks about the Sept. 11 attacks. Piker later apologized for those comments, while El-Sayed has described them as wrong.
Rogers has also emphasized El-Sayed's views on foreign policy and Israel.
The Republican Senate campaign organization has called El-Sayed “the most radical Senate candidate in America” and used his full name in an early general-election advertisement.
El-Sayed's campaign argues that these attacks demonstrate an effort to shift attention away from the Republican candidate's record and toward fear surrounding El-Sayed's religion.
Michigan makes the issue especially significant
The controversy carries particular political weight in Michigan.
The state has one of the largest Muslim populations in the United States, with roughly 240,000 Muslims, according to The Post. The Detroit metropolitan area in particular has a large Arab American and Muslim community.
El-Sayed's nomination therefore has historic significance for many Muslim Americans.
His victory represents a major political milestone for a community that has become increasingly visible in American elections.
But that visibility has also made the campaign a target for people attempting to portray Muslim political participation as a threat.
Amy V. Doukoure, lead staff attorney for the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said anti-Muslim rhetoric has increased since El-Sayed's primary victory.
She also told The Post that police officers had visited the organization's workplace for several consecutive days to investigate death threats received by the group.
A broader national pattern
The attacks against El-Sayed are occurring amid a wider increase in political rhetoric targeting Muslim Americans.
Muslim Democratic politicians such as Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani have also faced attacks centered on their faith.
The Post's reporting suggests that El-Sayed's victory provided a new focal point for this rhetoric because of the possibility that he could become the first Muslim member of the U.S. Senate.
Other research has also documented a sharp increase in anti-Muslim posts directed at El-Sayed following his primary victory. The Center for the Study of Organized Hate reported that posts targeting him rose dramatically during the week after the election, with tens of thousands of posts identified across multiple social-media platforms.
The different studies use different methodologies and datasets, but both point toward the same broad development: online hostility toward El-Sayed intensified substantially after he won the nomination.
El-Sayed says the attacks will not define him
El-Sayed has largely attempted to redirect attention toward policy.
In television interviews and campaign appearances, he has argued that voters should judge him based on his record, ideas and vision rather than his religious identity.
He has also suggested that the effort to make his name and faith central to the campaign could ultimately fail.
The Democratic nominee faces a difficult general election in a politically competitive state. His progressive record, views on Gaza and relationship with the Democratic Party's left wing are likely to remain major issues.
But the emergence of religious attacks introduces another dimension into the contest.
Instead of simply debating whether El-Sayed's policies are too progressive, voters are increasingly being confronted with political messages questioning whether a Muslim candidate can be trusted to represent the United States.
The stakes extend beyond one Senate race
The Michigan contest could therefore become a significant test of how religion and identity are treated in American electoral politics.
If El-Sayed wins, his election would mark a historic breakthrough for Muslim representation in the Senate.
If he loses, the campaign will still have demonstrated how quickly a candidate's religious identity can become a central political weapon once he reaches a high-profile national race.
The Post's analysis suggests that the transformation happened remarkably quickly. Before the primary, El-Sayed's opponents primarily attacked his ideology. Within days of his victory, his faith had become one of the defining subjects of conservative online discussion about him.
That shift raises a broader question for the 2026 election: Will voters ultimately judge El-Sayed on his political record, or will attacks surrounding his religion become a defining feature of the campaign?
For El-Sayed, the answer could determine not only his Senate prospects but also how far Muslim representation in national American politics has advanced.
For Michigan voters, the November election will provide an opportunity to decide which issues matter most — policy, experience and political leadership, or the religious identity of the person seeking to represent them in Washington.
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