Abdul El-Sayed achieved a major political turnaround after losing Michigan's gubernatorial race eight years ago, winning an upset Senate primary despite being heavily outspent. In a newly surfaced podcast clip, he jokingly explained to his uncle that marrying his Indian-origin wife was simply a high statistical probability. His wife, Dr. Sarah Jukaku, is a practicing psychiatrist whose grandfather once served as the deputy finance minister of Mysore State. The couple met through the Muslim Students' Association at the University of Michigan and have two daughters together.
Key points
El-Sayed's Senate win represents a dramatic political recovery following a double-digit d…: El-Sayed's Senate win represents a dramatic political recovery following a double-digit defeat in a previous gubernatorial race.
A lighthearted viral podcast clip spotlighted the senator-elect's personal life and cultu…: A lighthearted viral podcast clip spotlighted the senator-elect's personal life and cultural background shortly after his historic victory.
Dr. Jukaku actively campaigned alongside her husband after meeting him during their stude…: Dr. Jukaku actively campaigned alongside her husband after meeting him during their student days at the University of Michigan.
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Abdul El-Sayed made history on Wednesday by becoming the first Muslim elected to the US Senate in the midterm elections, which saw Democrats gain control of Congress.
A video of the newly elected senator recalling a humorous family exchange about his marriage has since gone viral, offering a glimpse into his Indian connection through his wife, Dr Sarah Jukaku.
In the podcast video, El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, recalls how one of his uncles from Egypt reacted when he married Sarah, who comes from an Indian-origin Muslim family.
"When I married Dr Jakaku, one of my uncles from Egypt came to me and said, 'There are 80 million Egyptians and you went and married an Indian woman?'" El-Sayed says in the video.
"I replied 'Amu (uncle in Arabic), there are a billion of them so statistically speaking, this was a high probability'," he added.
Sarah Jukaku, a practising psychiatrist, was born into an Indian-immigrant Muslim family in Michigan whose roots trace back to Bhatkal, a coastal town in Karnataka, around 140 km from Mangaluru.
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