‘I’m an honorary Indian’: Abdul El-Sayed’s clip resurfaces after Michigan midterms win | Hindustan Times

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed's victory in Michigan's US Senate race has brought renewed attention to his Indian connection, with the senator-elect describing himself as an "honorary Indian" and joking that he might be "more Indian than Arab".

Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic US Senate candidate from Michigan, during an election night event with Michigan Democrats in Detroit, Michigan, US, early on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (Bloomberg)El-Sayed, whose wife Sarah Jukaku comes from an Indian-origin family with roots in Bhatkal, Karnataka, spoke about his connection to India in a podcast interview from two months ago.

Reflecting on his experience of visiting the country, he said he had come to appreciate the patience ingrained in Indian culture.

"I'm an honorary Indian. There is a patience to Indian culture that I appreciated only when I went to India. You're surrounded by a billion people. Nothing gets done quickly," he said in a light-hearted vein during a podcast interview with Exxodus Pictures recorded two months ago.

In the same podcast, El-Sayed had joked that being married into a South Indian family for two decades may have made him "more Indian than Arab".

"I've been married to a South Indian family for 20 years. I might be more Indian than Arab. Everybody likes desis more than Arabs," he said at the start of the podcast.

A video of his remarks resurfaced on social media following his election victory, bringing his Indian family connection into the spotlight.

El-Sayed also spoke about his family, joking that he has been surrounded by desi women throughout his life. "I'm like surrounded by desi women my whole life. Like, I have two desi daughters and a desi wife," he said.

El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers, who was backed by US President Donald Trump, in the Michigan Senate race.

His wife Sarah, a psychiatrist born and raised in Michigan, comes from an Indian-origin family with ancestral roots in Bhatkal, a coastal town around 140 km from Mangaluru, according to a report by The American Bazaar.

The couple got married in May 2006 and have two daughters, Emmalee and Serene. They live in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Sarah met El-Sayed at the University of Michigan, where both were students. She later pursued higher studies at the University of Oxford and earned her medical degree from Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in 2015.

According to The American Bazaar, Sarah's grandfather, Jukaku Shamshuddin, was a prominent lawyer and political figure. He served as deputy minister for finance in the erstwhile Mysore State under then chief minister BD Jatti.

El-Sayed is also the first Muslim to enter the US Senate following his victory in the midterm elections. His win marks a significant boost for the Democratic Party's left wing in Michigan, a key US swing state.

Following his victory, El-Sayed took aim at US Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump, both of whom had repeatedly criticised him during the election campaign. Trump, in particular, had faced accusations of Islamophobic attacks against El-Sayed and mocking his Arabic name.

"JD, habibi, it is an irony—you are constitutionally obligated to swear me in, in January," he said, according to AFP.

"Donald, I know you struggle with my name, so when JD swears me in, you can call me senator," El-Sayed added.

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