'Michigan, we did it' - Democrat El-Sayed claims victory

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed said he had won a US Senate seat in Michigan over former Republican senator Mike Rogers, which would make him the first Muslim elected to the upper chamber of Congress.

"Michigan, we did it!" Mr El-Sayed said in a speech at his election headquarters in Detroit.

"I am so proud and honoured to stand here as your senator-elect from the great state of Michigan."

Mr El-Sayed won despite a last-minute hiccup in his campaign when congresswoman Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to him, came out in support of Mr Rogers at the 11th hour.

The Michigan doctor rallied voters on leftist campaign promises, including universal health care, to hold a key US Senate seat for Democrats, taking over from the retiring Gary Peters.

Republicans ran a scorched-earth campaign to paint Democrats as communists and branded Mr El-Sayed a terrorist who would endanger Americans.

But the straight-talking 42-year-old pledged to help cash-strapped voters navigate the US's health care system.

"You deserve to be able to see a doctor without getting a huge bill," he told Michiganders on the eve of the vote, vowing to upend the US's divisive multi-billion-dollar for-profit medical system.

During the race, Mr El-Sayed drew huge campaign crowds across the state, even in deeply conservative Republican areas.

He also vowed to get "money out of politics" and address the harsh economic woes that have voters yearning for a political newcomer to shake up the status quo.

The election makes Mr El-Sayed the first Democratic doctor in the Senate since 1969.