Abbas Alawieh won the seat of the 2nd District in the Michigan State Senate in the November 3, 2026 election. This democrat of Lebanese origin, a former congressional collaborator and co-founder of the Uncommitted movement, is due to join the Lansing assembly in January. The results remain provisional. His term will be that of an elected state, not a federal senator in Washington.
The count published on 5 November by Wayne County gives him 72,311 votes, or 70,50% of the vote. Republican Harry Sawicki won 27,250 votes, against 2,743 for Larry Darnell Betts, a candidate for the Working Class Party. The document also includes 266 votes for names entered directly on the ballot papers.
The 89 district offices reported their results. However, the report still refers to « unofficial results ». The announced victory of Alawieh must therefore be distinguished from the final certification of the election. This precaution applies to the figures, which can be corrected during election checks.
Abbas Alawieh, an elected member anchored in the Dearborn region
The electoral district includes Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Melvindale, as well as areas of Allen Park, Taylor and Detroit. It was in this urban complex that the new senator built his campaign. He supported a programme focusing on paid families, public services and road safety.
Alawieh took a first stage on 4 August, winning the Democratic Primary against Erin Byrnes. His victory in November now opens a four-year term. He will succeed in the district the Democrat Sylvia Santana, who was among his supporters during the campaign.
Its local location is accompanied by a university career in Michigan. A former student of Fordson High, he graduated from Michigan University in 2014. He has also graduated from his public health school since 2017. The university lists him among the beneficiaries of the Brehm scholarship programme.
Lebanese ties claimed
Abbas Alawieh often mentioned his Lebanese ties. He lived in Lebanon until the age of six and maintained family ties with the south of the country. His father is Lebanese.
On 4 November, Arnoun municipality welcomed its victory in a press release. She presented him as a child from the locality and South Lebanon. This message of congratulations inscribed his election in a history of emigration that links families from southern Lebanon to the Detroit area.
An experience comes back in her youth stories: the 2006 war. Alawieh, fifteen years old, visited his grandmother in Lebanon when the fighting broke out. He said he spent several days in a basement during the bombings. He describes this episode as a decisive step in his political commitment.
After his election, he reiterated his solidarity with the people of South Lebanon. In an interview broadcast on 5 November, he also encouraged Arab diasporas to participate in political life. For him, this commitment must address the daily needs of voters as well as the conflicts affecting their families.
A journey behind the scenes of Congress
Before running for office, Alawieh worked for several democratic elected officials in Washington. He served as a legislative assistant to Andy Levin and Rashida Tlaib, and then as Chief of Staff for Cori Bush. This experience gave him knowledge of parliamentary work, preparation of texts and political negotiations.
He participated in the work of the Cori Bush team on protecting tenants during the pandemic. During his campaign, he highlighted this experience to defend wider access to housing. He also claimed his work on education and employee rights.
This passage to Congress was not an elected term. Alawieh worked there for parliamentarians. His election in Michigan thus marks a change of responsibility: he will now have to vote the texts himself and answer directly to the inhabitants of his constituency.
The National Visibility of the Uncommitted Movement
The American public mainly discovered with Uncommitted, the movement of « uncommitted » democratic voters during the presidential elections of 2024. Co-founder of this mobilization, Alawieh challenged American support for the war in Gaza. He was seeking a change of policy within the Democratic Party.
He participated in the Chicago Democratic Convention as a delegate in 2024. In particular, the organizers requested a place for a Palestinian-American voice in the gallery. Alawieh also defended an evolution of US policy on arms deliveries to Israel. This mobilisation placed at the heart of a public disagreement with the party leadership.
His candidacy in the Michigan Senate then associated this commitment with local demands. In his campaign interventions, he stressed the need to listen to all the inhabitants of the district. He presented his militant experience and his work in institutions as two complementary means of achieving results.
Health, housing and roads in the programme
Its programme proposes to increase access to care and childcare, raise the minimum wage and strengthen trade unions. On housing, it defends the protection of tenants and the construction of affordable housing. It also wishes to improve access to legal advice in deportation proceedings.
Traffic occupies a distinct place in its proposals. Alawieh wants to support road repair and improvements that reduce speed. It also proposes to invest in public transport, pedestrian routes and protected cycle paths. These measures are part of a campaign programme, not already adopted decisions.
His support brought together several democratic components. His campaign featured support from Senator Bernie Sanders, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud. It also included trade unions, including representatives of firefighters, electricians and hotel workers.
A mandate to Lansing from January
The Michigan Senate has 38 members. Together with the House of State Representatives, he reviewed Michigan’s laws and budget. It also exercises control over the executive and intervenes in the confirmation of certain appointments. Alawieh will therefore participate in State decisions concerning infrastructure and public services.
This function does not give him a vote in the Federal Congress on foreign aid or US military policy. Its international positions could feed its political expression. Its legislative powers will be exercised in Michigan. The November elections are scheduled to begin on January 1, 2027, after verification and certification of results.
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