Election Day 2026 results so far: Abdul El-Sayed vs Mike Rogers in Michigan Senate race; who is Democrat's wife Sarah Jukaku?

In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic former public health official, is in a competitive race against former Representative Mike Rogers, a Republican and both are locked in a tough fight. Polls show a close race between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers. The Michigan contest is key to Democratic hopes of recapturing the Senate majority in November 2026. El-Sayed is leading in many of the recent polls, but is still within the margin of error.

ALSO READ: US midterm elections results LIVE Updates

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, narrowly defeated Representative Haley Stevens in the party's August primary. he has also secured the backing of the United Auto Workers (UAW) labour union. His Republican challenger, Mike Rogers, is a former seven-term congressman who chaired the House Intelligence Committee. Rogers narrowly lost the 2024 Senate race to Democrat Elissa Slotkin. He entered the 2026 contest with Trump's endorsement and support from establishment Republicans.


ALSO READ: Texas voting results

Polls close at 8 p.m. across Michigan. Four Upper Peninsula counties - Dickinson, Gogebic, Iron, and Menominee counties - are in Central Time, meaning their polls will close at 9 p.m. Eastern. To check official Michigan election results and data, you can use the Michigan Secretary of State Election Results and Data Page.

ALSO READ: US midterm Election results 2026 so far: When will results come in from Georgia, Texas and other key states? Check latest updates

Who is Abdul El-Sayed?

Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat running for the US Senate from Michigan, is a physician, public health expert and former Wayne County health director. Born and raised in southeast Michigan, he initially pursued a career in medicine before turning to public service, focusing on improving healthcare and making government agencies work more effectively.

El-Sayed studied at the University of Michigan, where he graduated with the highest distinction and played for the university's men's lacrosse team. He later earned his medical degree from Columbia University through a National Institutes of Health-funded fellowship. He also completed a second doctorate at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.

Before entering the Senate race, El-Sayed held senior public health positions in Michigan. He rebuilt Detroit's Health Department following the city's bankruptcy and later restructured Wayne County's Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services, which serves around 1.8 million residents.

During his time in public service, he worked on several healthcare and environmental initiatives. These included securing free glasses for children, removing lead from Detroit elementary schools, taking action against major polluters and expanding access to the life-saving drug Narcan. He also spearheaded a programme aimed at cancelling up to $700 million in medical debt for 300,000 Michiganders over two years.

El-Sayed has also gained national recognition for his work on healthcare policy. He authored Medicare for All: A Citizen's Guide, which outlines his vision for affordable healthcare across the country. In 2020, he was selected for former President Joe Biden's Unity Task Force on Healthcare, which worked on developing healthcare policy proposals.

He was raised by his father, Mohamed, an Egyptian immigrant, and his stepmother, Jackie. El-Sayed lives in Ann Arbor with his wife, Sarah, and their two daughters, Emmalee and Serene.

In the 2026 Senate race, El-Sayed is running on a progressive platform, with healthcare, economic affordability and public services among the central themes of his campaign.

Abdul El-Sayed's wife Sarah Jukaku

Abdul El-Sayed's wife Sarah Jukaku has become one of the most searched names on Google as the US heads to midterm elections. Abdul El-Sayed and his psychiatrist wife have found themselves in Donald Trump’s crosshairs. Sarah Jukaku's roots are from Western Ghats, Bhatkal is a coastal town of roughly 46,000 people in southern India. According to The American Bazar, Sarah Jukaku was born to an Indian immigrant couple in Michigan, where she grew up. Her father, Tayeb Jukaku, is a nephrologist and hails from Bhatkal, Karnataka. Sarah’s grandfather, J.H. Shamsuddin Jukaku, was a prominent lawyer.

Tayeb Jukaku has ties to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Michigan, where he’s a board member, and has also served on the Islamic Society of North America’s founders’ committee.

Sarah Jukaku's profession, career

According to the report, Sarah Jukaku attended the University of Michigan, where she pursued dual degrees in sociology and Near Eastern studies. She later earned a master’s degree from the University of Oxford before completing her medical education at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, according to The American Bazaar.

Jukaku previously worked at University of Michigan Health, where she held a senior role in psychiatry. She later established her private practice, Mind Work Psychiatry, in Ann Arbor, as reported by The Washington Free Beacon.

How did Sarah Jukaku meet Abdul El-Sayed?

Jukaku and Abdul El-Sayed first met while studying at the University of Michigan, where both were members of the university’s Muslim Students’ Association, according to People.

She was a first-year university student when El-Sayed proposed to her. The couple married in May 2006, when Jukaku was 19, The American Bazaar reported. They have two daughters together, Emmalee, eight, and Serene, three.