Former state rep is now eyeing shot at senate seat

Former State Rep. Abraham Aiyash is running for a seat in the state Senate.

By Charles Sercombe
Former State Rep. Abraham Aiyash’s political career is far from over.
Although he decided not to seek re-election as a state representative a couple of years ago, he did so to position himself to run for state senator, and still be able to work the maximum number of years in the state legislature before he would be termed out.
Aiyash is one of at least two Democratic hopefuls looking to fill the seat of Sen. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor), who will be termed out at the end of this year.
Geiss is part of the newly formed Senate District 1 that represents part of Detroit as well as a good portion of the Downriver area. To qualify to be a candidate to run in this election, Aiyash moved out of Hamtramck to reside within the district.
Aiyash was the first Hamtramck resident to serve in the state legislature since the 1990s. He is also known for being the first Yemeni-American to serve in Lansing.
While serving two terms in the legislature, Aiyash was appointed Floor Majority Leader – a prestigious position.
When in office, Aiyash steered millions in grants to Hamtramck. He also was a champion of LGBTQ rights, despite facing some backlash from many in Hamtramck’s socially conservative Muslim population. Aiyash is also Muslim.
According to campaign finance records, he has amassed a sizeable war chest of over $100,000.
To officially kick off his campaign, he held a fundraiser in Detroit’s Corktown this week.
So far, his top Democratic challenger, at least at this time, is Justin Onwenu, who also has over $100,000 in campaign funds to use. Onwenu, an attorney, is the Director of Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunity for the City of Detroit.
Aiyash said he is confident that he can pull off a victory.
“I feel good about where we’ll end up,” Aiyash told The Review.“We’ve won tough races before, and I have Sen. (Stephanie) Chang’s backing, who has represented nearly every part of this district in her tenure as a legislator.”
Aiyash is also backing State Rep. Donavan McKinney (D-Detroit), who is running to unseat Congressman Shri Thanedar (D-Detroit) who is seeking re-election this year.
Thanedar has come under criticism locally for supporting U.S. funding to Israel, which President Trump also supports. Trump recently funneled about $6 billion to Israel without prior congressional approval.
Many in Hamtramck’s Muslim community endorsed Trump for president in 2024.
Posted Feb. 27, 2026