Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed said Sunday that Democrats must "win by massive numbers" in November because President Donald Trump may refuse to accept a loss.

"Donald Trump has already threatened to do what he did in 2020, which is deny the outcomes of an election," El-Sayed said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "So, yes, we have to win by massive numbers."

El-Sayed faces Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in a tight race that could help decide control of the Senate. Democrats need to gain four seats to take the chamber, NBC said. A recent New York Times and Siena poll showed El-Sayed leading Rogers by five points, The Guardian reported.

Host Kristen Welker asked about Rogers' debate attacks, in which he tried to tie El-Sayed and his family to the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed said he has no such ties. "You know Kristen, the only reason he said those things is because he really wanted to repeat the word Muslim," he said. Fox News reported that he called the attacks "truly shameful."

Welker also asked whether America is ready for a Muslim president. "That's not a question I'm asking," El-Sayed said, according to Fox News. "I think Michigan is ready for a Muslim senator." Pressed again, he said, "I have no intention of ever running for president."

He was also asked about his past criticism of former President Barack Obama, who is set to campaign with him in Detroit later this month. After voting for Obama's re-election in 2012, El-Sayed wrote that Obama "was not the right choice." On Sunday, he said Obama "was handed a really difficult set of circumstances, and he did his best."

Rogers has also said that a 2024 Senate race he lost was stolen from him, The Guardian reported, after he first conceded it.

What we know: El-Sayed said Democrats must win big to head off election denial, and he rejected Rogers' claims about the Muslim Brotherhood.
What we don't: How Rogers will respond, and whether the race stays close through Election Day.