Republicans nearly immediately resorted to Islamophobic attacks after voters chose Abdul El-Sayed as Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate candidate on Wednesday, sparking defiance from El-Sayed as he taunted the GOP’s inability to speak to real issues. He pledged to stand by the Jewish community in the state in pushback against other Islamophobic attacks that he faced during the primary that tried to smear him as antisemitic. Later, El-Sayed also responded to a question from a reporter about his plan to combat Islamophobic attacks in the upcoming race. This is the best place in the world to be an Abdul,” El-Sayed went on. “Because Michiganders are — they’re big-hearted, they’re open-minded, they’re earnest, and they’re gritty.