President Donald Trump launched a new personal attack on Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in the opening hours of Election Day, as Michigan reported that more than 2.44 million voters had already cast ballots before polling places opened on Tuesday, November 3.
In a Truth Social post timestamped 12:52 a.m. Eastern time, Trump accused El-Sayed of hostility toward Jewish, Black and white Americans and urged support for Republican nominee Mike Rogers. The president offered no evidence for those accusations. They are allegations made by Trump, not established facts.
Trump renews his attack on El-Sayed
Trump wrote that El-Sayed “Hates Jews and Hates Blacks,” and made a similar allegation about white Americans. His post ended with an endorsement of Rogers. The remarks came after Trump had repeatedly targeted El-Sayed at a Michigan rally on October 25, where he portrayed the Democratic candidate as a security threat and invoked the September 11 attacks.
Reuters reported that Trump had offered no evidence tying El-Sayed to terrorism. El-Sayed, a former Detroit health official who was born in Michigan, rejected earlier attacks questioning his loyalty to the United States. The Associated Press also documented criticism of Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric from Arab American figures in Michigan.
The latest intervention arrives amid an unusual split in the state’s Senate campaign. Democratic Representative Haley Stevens, defeated by El-Sayed in the Democratic primary, endorsed Rogers shortly before Election Day. Trump publicly praised her decision. Votendi covered that cross-party endorsement and the pre-endorsement polling picture on November 1. The effects of both the endorsement and Trump’s comments on voting behavior remain unmeasured.
Michigan reports 2,442,478 early and absentee votes
According to the Michigan Department of State’s voter-participation dashboard, a snapshot posted at approximately 7:03 a.m. Eastern time on November 3 listed 2,442,478 ballots received or cast ahead of Election Day voting. That represented 32.9% of Michigan’s 7,423,460 active registered voters.
- 1,692,009 absentee ballots returned.
- 750,469 early in-person votes.
- 2,442,478 combined ballots recorded before Election Day polls opened.
These figures describe participation, not which candidate received the votes. Michigan’s dashboard updates administrative voting records and is not an election-results feed. The totals also should not be treated as a continuous live count of votes cast at polling places on November 3.
The state had reported more than 2.3 million ballots as of November 2, or 31.2% of active registered voters. The increase reflects additional recorded absentee returns and early-vote records in the subsequent snapshot, not an Election Day candidate tally.
What happens next in the Michigan Senate race?
Michigan voters are choosing between El-Sayed and Rogers for an open U.S. Senate seat. The contest is part of the national fight for control of the Senate, but a high early-vote total alone cannot establish a partisan advantage. Differences in how and when people vote, together with the state’s expanded early in-person voting system, limit straightforward comparisons with earlier midterm elections.
Polling places in Michigan are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday. Initial unofficial returns can be reported after polls close; late-arriving administrative updates, counting procedures and subsequent certifications must be distinguished from confirmed results.
Follow Votendi’s 2026 US midterms live results coverage for the Senate and House picture as verified results become available.
