In brief
Ahmed El‑Sayed, a 37‑year‑old teacher from Detroit, was sworn in on Tuesday to represent Michigan’s District 11, becoming the first Arab‑born state lawmaker in the United States. His victory sparked chants of "Habibi" and 120,000 tweets, and analysts say it signals a growing influence of Middle‑East diaspora voters in the Democratic Party.
On Tuesday, Ahmed El‑Sayed was sworn in as the newest member of the Michigan Legislature, marking the first time an Arab‑born state lawmaker has been elected in the United States. The 37‑year‑old teacher, who grew up on Detroit’s north side, defeated a long‑time incumbent in District 11 and became a historic figure for the nation’s Arab‑American community.
"When you talk to my students, I call them ‘habibi’—my dear—so I am showing them love and respect. To be able to officially serve the people of Michigan with that spirit is a dream come true," El‑Sayed told reporters after his swearing‑in, a phrase that has become a celebrated chant in Arab‑American circles.
Dozens of volunteers from Dearborn, Detroit’s Arab‑American heartland, attended the ceremony and joined the crowd that shouted "Habibi, habibi" in unison. The word, meaning "my beloved" in Arabic, entered everyday political language and spiked across social‑media platforms during the campaign.
During the week before the election, more than 120,000 tweets were labeled #Habibi and Google Trends recorded a sharp rise in U.S. searches for the term after the announcement of El‑Sayed’s win.
El‑Sayed’s campaign focused on education inequality, criminal‑justice reform, and support for small businesses in minority neighborhoods—issues he promised to bring to the legislature.
The election saw a 58% turnout among white‑born voters, down three percentage points from 2022, but a 12% increase among voters who identified as the children of immigrants. According to the Michigan Secretary of State, the top three precincts with the highest immigrant‑seeded votes were in Dearborn, Southfield, and Livonia.
Political analysts point to the election as a sign that the Democratic Party is gaining power by engaging diaspora communities. The Pew Research Center notes that Americans with roots in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia have grown from 3.1% to 4.4% of the electorate, a trend that could shape future elections.
El‑Sayed concluded his speech by saying, "We come with our stories, our hopes, and our unique perspectives. We want to speak in a language that acknowledges our human nature—not a language of division," underscoring his commitment to inclusive representation.
