John Nichols argues in The Nation that Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed's victory over Mike Rogers on November 3, 2026 — making him the first Muslim elected to the US Senate — was the most profound rebuke Donald Trump suffered in midterms that gave Democrats both chambers of Congress. Nichols contrasts Trump's labeling El-Sayed a "jihadist" with the faith-based ad El-Sayed ran in response.