Dearborn, Michigan, mayor on city's record turnout and the election of Abdul El-Sayed

Voters in Dearborn, Michigan, turned out in record numbers during the midterm elections, and their ballots helped send Abdul El-Sayed to the U.S. Senate. Dearborn's mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, was asked to explain what drew so many residents to the polls when he spoke with NPR's Leila Fadel.

The outcome came during a broader Democratic sweep. NPR's wider coverage of the midterms describes the party as winning broadly, and examines how other countries are reacting and what Democrats hope to accomplish now that they hold the majority. Against that backdrop, El-Sayed's victory in Michigan stands out as one in which a single city's unusually heavy participation drew particular attention.

Hammoud, who leads Dearborn's city government, is the voice at the center of the conversation, which Fadel conducted for NPR's audience. The discussion treats the city's turnout as its starting point, asking why residents voted in such numbers and how the city figured in choosing a senator.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NPR’s reporting. Read the full story at NPR →