Abdul El-Sayed

Recent media appearances

• InterviewOct 23, 2026US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed goes 1-on-1 with Josh LandonFOX 2 Detroit
• DebateOct 21, 2026Michigan U.S. Senate debate with Mike Rogers (second and final debate)WXYZ, via Bridge Michigan
• DebateOct 8, 2026Michigan U.S. Senate debate with Mike Rogers (first debate)WOOD TV8, via Bridge Michigan
• InterviewSep 3, 2026Abdul El-Sayed Diagnoses American PoliticsThe Nation
• PodcastJul 23, 2026Michigan's Race for the U.S. Senate: Meet Abdul El-SayedMichigan Public, It's Just Politics

Top articles

1. Michigan PublicRogers and El-Sayed clash on ICE, Social Security and more in final US Senate debateOct 22, 2026
2. Michigan PublicRogers, El-Sayed debate gets hostile as candidates clash in pivotal US Senate raceOct 9, 2026
3. SBS News (AFP)Who is Abdul El-Sayed? The Michigan doctor who wants to lead the left to the US SenateAug 6, 2026
4. Bridge MichiganAbdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate primary in progressive "shockwave"Aug 5, 2026
5. Michigan Public (AP)Former Michigan health officer Abdul El-Sayed enters Democratic US Senate raceApr 17, 2025

Overview

Abdul El-Sayed is a physician and epidemiologist who was born in Detroit to Egyptian parents. He studied at the University of Michigan and Columbia University and was a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford. sbs.com.au

He served as Detroit's public health director after the city's 2013 bankruptcy and later directed the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services. In 2018 he ran in the Democratic primary for governor, finishing second to Gretchen Whitmer. michiganpublic.org

He entered the race for the open U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Democrat Gary Peters in April 2025 and became the Democratic nominee after the August 2026 primary against Rep. Haley Stevens. His general election opponent was Republican Mike Rogers. michiganpublic.org bridgemi.com

Platform

• Proposes extending Medicare to every American with no premiums, copays or deductibles, and adding dental, vision and hearing coverage.abdulforsenate.com
• Says Medicare should negotiate prices for every prescription drug and extend those prices to all patients.abdulforsenate.com
• Says he supports legislation to overturn the Citizens United decision and to ban outside spending by super PACs, 527 groups and corporate 501(c)(4) groups.abdulforsenate.com
• Proposes a tax on wealth over $1 billion and taxing capital gains above $1 million at the same rate as ordinary income.abdulforsenate.com
• Proposes raising the minimum teacher salary to at least $60,000 a year.abdulforsenate.com
• Says ICE should be abolished and replaced with a new immigration enforcement structure, alongside a pathway to citizenship.abdulforsenate.com michiganpublic.org
• Says he would fund police recruitment and retention along with behavioral health response and community violence intervention.michiganpublic.org
• Says he does not want U.S. tax dollars buying weapons for other countries and that the war with Iran should end.michiganpublic.org