Hannah Einbinder kept her promise to portray Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens for the first time if Abdul El-Sayed wins the state Senate race on Tuesday night.
The “Hacks” star, who was watching the midterm results from a bar, immediately posted a video of his impression of Stevens following El-Sayed’s victory. “We’ll give them some energy, some power, some sticking with them, ’cause that’s the Michigan way!” In the clip he shared to his Instagram Story, he says: In a subsequent post, Einbinder celebrated the win by writing, “Mazel tov, Abdul.”
El-Sayed became the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate by defeating Mike Rogers in Michigan’s closely watched Senate race. His victory came as Democrats took control of both houses of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
The results capped a tumultuous week that began Sunday when Stevens, who narrowly lost the Michigan Democratic Senate primary to El-Sayed in August, announced he would support his Republican opponent instead.
Stevens later appeared on CNN for an interview with Anderson Cooper, in which Cooper repeatedly questioned what led to this sudden turnaround. His antics and responses went viral and provided new material for late-night hosts like Seth Meyers and Jon Stewart.
His decision also drew immediate criticism from Michigan Democratic leaders, including state party chairman Curtis Hertel, while several congressional staffers also resigned in protest. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer also condemned the confirmation.
In the midterm race, James Talarico beat Republican Ken Paxton in Texas, while Democrats also picked up Senate seats in Iowa and Kansas. In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson unseated longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Democrats also turned down governorships in Texas, Iowa, Ohio and Georgia.