A practicing psychiatrist, Dr Jakaku met Abdul El-Sayed during their time at the University of Michigan, according to USA Today . The reason? She was actively involved in El-Sayed’s midterm campaign this year.
Abdul El-Sayed’s win as the first Muslim senator in the US midterm elections 2026 has brought a small village in Karnataka into focus. His wife Dr Sarah Jakaku who traces her family roots to Bhatkal, around 140 km from Mangaluru. An article in student publication, The Michigan Daily, says that the couple became engaged while he was a freshman and got married in 2006.
At one of the campaign rallies, she offered a glimpse into the couple’s relationship.
“Nobody tells him what to do except me,” Dr Jukaku said.
Her father Jukaku Tayeb, a nephrologist, grew up in Bhatkal and moved to the US after completing his MBBS. Her grandfather Jukaku Shamsuddin was a prominent lawyer, educator and served as deputy minister for finance in the government of BD Jatti, who was the chief minister of Jamkhandi State (located in the present-day Bagalkot district, Karnataka). I have two desi daughters and a desi wife”. The couple has two daughters, Emmalee and Serene. Sarah Jukaku is the wife of newly elected US Senator Abdul El-Sayed. Her grandfather, Jukaku Shamshuddin, served as deputy minister for finance in Mysore State under then chief minister BD Jatti. He was also regarded as the first lawyer from the Bhatkal region and is remembered for his contributions to the town’s development, including bringing electricity to the area. I’m well inducted now.
READ | US Gets 1st Muslim Senator As Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Race “Listen, I’ve been married in a South Indian family for 20 years, like… “I’ve been married in a South Indian family for 20 years…
I am well inducted now I… you know, I might be more Indian than I am Arab,” he said in an interview. In another interaction with reporters, El-Sayed said he is “surrounded by desi women… You know, I might be more Indian than I’m Arab,” he once said in an interview.
Earlier reporting noted: ‘Nobody tells Sayed what to do, except me’: Meet US Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed’s wife Sarah Jukaku, whose family traces roots to Karnataka’s Bhatkal Dr. Earlier reporting noted: Her family has a notable legacy in the region. Earlier reporting noted: Her family’s Karnataka connection has also been reflected in El-Sayed’s own remarks about his South Indian roots through marriage.
