Abdul El-Sayed has become the first Muslim to be elected to the US Senate, triumphing in one of the most closely watched contests in the midterm elections.
The historic victory caps an extraordinary campaign for the progressive candidate from Michigan, a son of Egyptian immigrants.
Mr El-Sayed, who is a physician and epidemiologist, faced off against Republican Mike Rogers in a Senate race seen as pivotal for both parties.
Michigan is a quintessential swing state. Mr Trump won it twice, and its Senate seats have in recent decades been held by Democrats.
Mr El-Sayed's focus on universal health care and taking “money out of politics” resonated with Michigan voters, particularly younger progressives.
But US President Donald Trump seized on his candidacy and unleashed an unprecedented amount of vitriol against him, calling Mr El-Sayed a “jihadist lunatic”. The US President also mocked his name, saying he would would just call him “Mohammed” instead.
Mr El-Sayed's opponents accused him of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in many countries in the Middle East.
The remarks alienated many voters, including the nearly 300,000 Arab Americans in Michigan. The state is home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the country, who have been a key constituency for Mr El-Sayed.
Israel on the ballot
In an unusual turn of events, Haley Stevens, a Democrat who lost to Mr El-Sayed in the August primary, broke ranks with her party on Sunday and endorsed Mr Rogers.
Mr El-Sayed faced an uphill battle from the start. Democratic establishment leaders had favoured Ms Stevens and were slow to rally around him after he won the nomination.
The fallout was largely driven by an advertisement from a political action committee backing Mr El-Sayed, which blamed rising prices in the US on American military support for Israel.
Mr El-Sayed has long been a vocal critic of Israel, calling the war in Gaza a genocide. He has called for an end to US military support for Israel, arguing that the money would be better spent on domestic priorities, including healthcare and education.
Ms Stevens, a staunch supporter of Israel, demanded that Mr El Sayed denounce the advertisement. Jewish-American groups also called it offensive and anti-Semitic.
Mr El Sayed said the advertisement had been produced by a third party and that his campaign was not involved in its production or content.
Establishment Democratic leaders had believed Mr El Sayed was too progressive to win in a swing state where support from independent voters, as well as moderates who had soured on Mr Trump is needed.
But in the final weeks leading up to the election, former president Barack Obama and former vice president Kamala Harris campaigned with Mr El-Sayed in Michigan.
His victory could prove a turning point for the Democratic party, which for decades has made domestic and foreign policy as well support for Israel major pillars.
Under scrutiny
The midterm results are, in many ways, a reflection of a divided country, as well as a referendum on Mr Trump, who campaigned on promises to improve the economy and end costly foreign wars.
Mr Trump reached the midterms with historically low approval ratings fuelled by discontent over prices of fuel and groceries, as well as an unpopular war with Iran.
The results also came amid declining support for Israel among Democrats and parts of Mr Trump's own Republican base. Polls showed a substantial shift in American public opinion on Israel and US policy towards the country.
Military aid has come under particular scrutiny since the start of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, in which more than 74,600 Palestinians have been killed.
On Tuesday morning, after polls opened, Mr Trump announced that the US would end its $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel after the end of the year.
He portrayed the move as stemming from criticism by Democrats and singled out Mr El-Sayed.
“Why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like El-Sayed when they don't need it? It's a bad talking point,” he said.
The announcement came on the heels of another shift in US-Israel relations.
Last month, the powerful pro-Israel lobby group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) said it would no longer endorse candidates or make direct campaign contributions.
Instead, it said it would continue operating through its Super PAC, the United Democracy Project, which can raise unlimited amounts for independent campaign advertising without co-ordinating with candidates.
The pro-Israel lobby had donated $30 million to Ms Stevens's campaign and then supported Mr Rogers's with about $9 million.
