Michigan Democratic Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed had a combative encounter with a Sky News reporter, James Matthews, just hours before winning his Senate race on Tuesday. The exchange, which involved El-Sayed placing his hands on the journalist, occurred as El-Sayed questioned Matthews' qualifications and relevance to the election.
"Are you registered to vote in the state of Michigan?" El-Sayed asked Matthews. Upon learning the British correspondent was not registered to vote in the state, El-Sayed responded, "Why would I care to have a conversation with you?"
As Matthews identified himself as a journalist and noted the global significance of the U.S. elections, El-Sayed continued to press him about his reporting base. "You know how many votes I want to get in the U.K.? Zero," El-Sayed stated, placing his hands on Matthews' shoulders. "I'm never running for office in the U.K."
Matthews attempted to explain that Sky News viewers are international and that U.S. elections have global ramifications. El-Sayed dismissed these points, suggesting Sky News had minimal viewership in the United States and that he had already addressed questions for the U.K. audience. He then asked the reporter to stop following him.
This was not the first tense interaction between El-Sayed and Matthews. The previous day, El-Sayed had a confrontation with the reporter when asked about the defection of Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens, who endorsed El-Sayed's Republican rival, Mike Rogers. During that exchange, El-Sayed told Matthews, "If you keep being in my way, I'm not going to be very happy."
Sky News issued a statement in support of Matthews, emphasizing his role in covering the election and the global relevance of U.S. political outcomes. The El-Sayed campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
El-Sayed ultimately defeated Rogers in the closely watched Senate race, contributing to the Democrats' gains in the midterm elections, where they secured control of both the House and the Senate.