Lebanese-Born Abbas Alawieh Leads Race for Michigan State Senate Seat

Lebanese-born Abbas Alawieh is on track to make history in Michigan. Early results from Tuesday’s US midterm elections show him with a major lead in the race for the state’s 2nd Senate District, putting him in line for a seat in the Michigan State Senate.

With partial results in, Alawieh holds about 70% of the vote against Republican Harry Sawicki’s 27%.

A seat built around Dearborn

The district covers Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Melvindale, along with parts of Detroit, Allen Park and Taylor. It has the highest concentration of Arab Americans of any of Michigan’s 38 state senate districts, with Dearborn being home to one of the largest Lebanese communities in the United States.

For readers less familiar with US politics: a state senate is not the US Senate in Washington. It is the upper chamber of Michigan’s own legislative body, (meaning the people who write state laws and approves the budgets, covering education, healthcare, housing and infrastructure).

From South Lebanon to Lansing

Alawieh was born in Lebanon and later raised in Dearborn. He has said his path into politics began at 15, when he was visiting his grandmother in South Lebanon as war broke out. He spent days sheltering in a basement during the bombing. He has said,”I am a son of the South, a son of Bint Jbeil, a son of Arnoun, a son of Nabatieh,” he has said, adding that he first grew up in Hay el-Sellom, in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Public service runs in the family. His sister, Fadwa Alawieh Hammoud, also Lebanese-born, became the first Muslim and first Arab American state solicitor general in the US when she was appointed in Michigan.

A historic night for Michigan

Alawieh’s race was one of several firsts in Michigan on election night. Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, defeated Republican Mike Rogers to become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.

If his lead holds, Alawieh will take his seat in Lansing in January 2027. Check out the #News section for more!