Abdul El-Sayed, projected to win Michigan's U.S. Senate race, took a celebratory jab at his Republican opponent, JD Vance, on election night. El-Sayed, a progressive, directly addressed Vance, saying, "JD, habibi," and highlighted the "delicious irony" of Vance being constitutionally obligated to swear him into the Senate in January.
The victory speech referenced a heated campaign exchange where Vance had attacked El-Sayed's past comments on Islamic law. El-Sayed, who is poised to become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate, had previously responded by questioning if Vance would take his wife, Usha Vance, back in time with him to meet his own grandfather. Vance, in turn, had demanded El-Sayed refrain from mentioning his wife's name. El-Sayed countered by urging Vance and former President Trump to "face down their own hypocrisy."
Further fueling the personal nature of their campaign feud, Vance had previously mispronounced El-Sayed's name and made a remark about arresting him over his facial hair. El-Sayed used his alma mater, the University of Michigan, to tease Vance, a graduate of rival Ohio State University, with a social media post stating, "Wolverine 1, Buckeye 0."