Video taking off 56x its usual first day

El-Sayed's grandparents find common ground across faiths

Jan and Judy Johnson's ABC News interview draws an unusually large audience for memories of college essays, family gatherings and election night.

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ABC News Story of November 7, 2026Trari Newsroom

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Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 1,420,886 views a day, 56 times a normal first day on this channel (25,255).

Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed’s grandparents react to historic win in Michigan

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

1:50Jan and Judy went home at midnight on election night and woke to news of their grandson's victory.
2:30Jan remembers Abdul trying to translate between him and Abdul's Egyptian grandfather.
5:10Thanksgiving is the annual gathering that brings their blended, interfaith family together.
6:13The couple describes responding to negative campaign attacks by offering Abdul steady support.
6:53Judy edited Abdul's essays when he lived with them during his University of Michigan studies.
9:14Judy emphasizes the common ground among Judaism, Christianity and Islam as Abrahamic faiths.

Judy Johnson used to edit Abdul El-Sayed's college essays, and she still has a note about his writing: "He was always good, but he tried to be too flowery, you know." Her grandson is headed to the Senate. She remembers the homework.

Appearing with her husband, Jan, from Hamburg Township, Michigan, Judy brings that family perspective to ABC News' coverage of El-Sayed's election victory. Their interview drew roughly 650,000 views in seven hours, already far beyond the channel's usual full-day audience for regular videos.

The couple stayed up until midnight on election night, then went home and woke to news of the win. Jan's response looks beyond the celebration: "And now the real work starts."

ABC introduces El-Sayed as the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. But much of the conversation concerns the ordinary ways their blended, interfaith family stays close. Thanksgiving is their biggest annual gathering. Jan says his grandson calls Judy every week, sometimes talking for an hour.

There are memories of El-Sayed trying to translate between Jan and his Egyptian grandfather, and of living with the Johnsons while studying at the University of Michigan. Judy helped with essays; staying with his grandparents also meant cleaning up the bathroom after a shower.

ABC has also posted a shorter excerpt with the couple and a separate interview with El-Sayed about his victory and legislative priorities. Here, his grandparents offer the family history behind the campaign appearances. Near the end, Judy makes her point plainly: "Jews, Christians, and Muslims are all Abrahamic faiths, so we have a lot in common."

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