Bhatkal: As Michigan votes in the US Senate election on Tuesday, Democratic candidate Dr Abdul El-Sayed has a family connection to Bhatkal in Karnataka. His wife, Dr Sarah Jukaku, belongs to the prominent Jukaku family of Bhatkal and is the granddaughter of the town's former deputy minister, the late J.H. Shamsuddin Jukaku.
A close relative of Sarah Jukaku, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said her father, Dr Tayeb S. Jukaku, moved to the United States in the 1980s. He subsequently specialised in nephrology and established his medical career there.
Born on October 31, 1984, in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed is the son of Mohamed El-Sayed, an Egyptian-born mechanical engineer and academic who worked as a professor in the United States.
El-Sayed graduated from the University of Michigan in 2007 with degrees in biology and political science. He later received a Rhodes Scholarship and earned a doctorate in public health from the University of Oxford in 2011. In 2014, he completed his medical degree at Columbia University in New York.
After completing his education, El-Sayed pursued a career in public health. He was appointed executive director of the Detroit Health Department in 2015 and contested the Michigan gubernatorial election in 2018. From 2022 to 2025, he served as director of the Wayne County Department of Health.
He married Sarah Jukaku, reportedly in 2016, although the year needs confirmation from the family.
According to the relative, El-Sayed and his wife have a particular fondness for Bhatkal's traditional cuisine, with Bhatkali dishes also prepared at their home in the United States. Sarah has travelled to Bhatkal and Bengaluru on several occasions to attend family gatherings. Her last visit to Bhatkal, accompanied by other family members, was reportedly around seven years ago.
El-Sayed secured the Democratic Party's nomination in the August 2026 primary and is now contesting the Senate seat against Republican candidate and former Congressman Mike Rogers. The seat became vacant after incumbent Senator Gary Peters decided not to seek re-election.
The contest has attracted attention beyond Michigan, as El-Sayed could become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate if he wins. His Muslim identity, views on Palestine and political positions have also figured prominently in the election campaign.
The campaign took a fresh turn on the eve of the election when Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who had challenged El-Sayed in the Democratic primary, announced her support for Republican candidate Mike Rogers, triggering debate within Democratic circles.
The outcome of the Michigan contest is being closely watched across the United States, as the result could also have implications for the balance of power between the two major parties in the Senate.
Photo: AP / Julia Demaree Nikhinson