Last Updated on November 6, 2026 1:44 am by INDIAN AWAAZ

By Our Correspondent

Abdul El-Sayed’s historic victory in Michigan’s US Senate race has brought an Indian town into the spotlight. The newly elected senator, who will become the first Muslim to serve in the US Senate, has a family connection to Bhatkal in Karnataka through his wife, Dr Sarah Jukaku, whose ancestral roots lie in the coastal town, around 140 km from Mangaluru.

Sarah, a practising psychiatrist, was born and raised in Michigan. According to USA Today, she met El-Sayed while they were studying at the University of Michigan. The couple married in 2006 and have two daughters, Emmalee and Serene. Sarah also played an active role in her husband’s 2026 election campaign.

Her Indian connection runs through her father, Dr Jukaku Tayeb, a nephrologist who grew up in Bhatkal before moving to the US after completing his medical education. Her grandfather, Jukaku Shamshuddin, was a prominent lawyer and public figure who served as deputy finance minister in the erstwhile Mysore State government under Chief Minister B.D. Jatti. He is remembered in Bhatkal for his contribution to the town’s development.

El-Sayed has often spoken warmly about his connection with his wife’s South Indian family. In an interview, he joked: “I’ve been married in a South Indian family for 20 years… I might be more Indian than I am Arab.”

Sarah, too, offered a glimpse of their relationship during a campaign rally, joking: “Nobody tells him what to do except me.”

El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in the November 3 election, making history in American politics. His victory has also brought renewed attention to Bhatkal, where relatives and residents have welcomed the achievement with pride. For the Jukaku family, the result marks a moment when their ancestral town has found an unexpected place in the story of American politics.