ANN ARBOR, Mich.— University of Michigan students galvanized around Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed following his defeat of Republican challenger Mike Rogers in Michigan’s high-stakes U.S. Senate race.
“Everyone’s excited,” said Affaan Shaik, a freshman studying pre-med at the University of Michigan.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to, everyone I’ve seen — like last night we were all watching the election,” Shaik added. “And everyone’s just rooting for Abdul, and that’s the vibe right now.”
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The Ann Arbor campus recently made headlines after a video went viral showing a conservative Jewish activist being tackled to the ground during an open campus discussion. Lizzy Benichou was hosting a free-speech event on campus when a heated argument over Islam and Iranian women’s rights turned physical. Video captured a female student shoving Benichou to the ground and kicking her before campus police intervened and took the student into custody.
The confrontation underscored the contentious political and cultural climate surrounding higher education during the campaign cycle. However, El-Sayed’s victory demonstrated his ability to overcome Republican attempts to cast him as the poster child for far-left Democratic policies.
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In his victory speech in Detroit early Wednesday morning, El-Sayed targeted the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which spent roughly $42 million running a campaign against him during his hard-fought August Democratic primary victory over U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens. Celebrating his triumph, El-Sayed invoked the Arabic phrase “Alhamdulillah,“ which translates to “Praise be to God.”
Students told Fox News Digital that young voters were looking for tangible change over empty promises.
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“They’re feeling happy because what they wanted is coming,” one student named Hernandez said. “I just really hope that we actually see something, and it’s not just nothing happens from this.”
The progressive Senator-elect also took a sharp jab at his defeated opponent during his victory speech.
“Enjoy your retirement,” El-Sayed said of Rogers, the former Republican congressman. “You chose hate, and Michigan chose hope. May we never have to see the likes of you in this state again.”
Isabelle, a junior studying movement science, echoed El-Sayed’s sentiment, describing Rogers’ platform as hostile.
“I feel like [El-Sayed] ran a very good election, and the opponent’s policies tended to be a lot more full of hate and less inclusion for everyone here,” she said. “The University of Michigan is a very inclusive university where that’s really important, so I think that especially resonated with a lot of the students here.”
A staff member for the university noted that many students had felt anxious about their prospects for entering the workforce amid broader economic headwinds.
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“I think students are kind of scared of the future. They’re here to plan their lives and enter into the real world,” said Stephanie Brooks, a staff member for the School for Environment and Sustainability. “I think a lot of them were really nervous in this current environment about what their future was going to look like. I think Abdul provided a lot of hope, security, and trust in that way.”
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Another student, Kabir, told Fox News Digital that cost-of-living issues played a major role in student turnout.
“I think…what we see around the country in terms of rising prices and all that stuff, I think a progressive who promises things to our people that we want is going to be successful,” Kabir said.
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Students also pointed to El-Sayed’s local ties as a major factor in driving campus engagement. El-Sayed earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 2007.
“I love Abdul El-Sayed,” Shaik said. “Being a Michigan alumnus feels really nice. He was around campus the other day and I got a chance to meet him. It feels good to be around someone who feels very close and connected with.”
“He really motivated a lot of young people, and the fact that he was a U-M grad helped a lot,” Brooks added.