A former health director and gubernatorial candidate launched his campaign on Thursday for Michigan’s open Senate seat next year, becoming the second major Democrat to enter the race.
Abdul El-Sayed, who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018 and oversaw the health departments for the city of Detroit and Wayne County, joined state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D) in the Democratic primary to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) in 2026.
“As I’ve spoken to Michiganders, one thing’s become clear: It’s just too hard to get by,” Abdul said in the video announcing his candidacy. “But it doesn’t have to be. And to fix it, we need to break the chokehold that billionaires and oligarchs like Donald Trump and Elon Musk have on our politics and economy. It’s not just about what we’re fighting against — it’s about what we fight for.”
El-Sayed touted his record, pointing to his work rebuilding Detroit’s health department, leading the largest county health department in the state as well as a program to cancel medical debt for 300,000 Michiganders, and removing lead from Detroit’s elementary schools.
He branded himself as a “doctor and a doer” in a release, saying he represents a “new kind of candidate” in the field.
El-Sayed was the runner-up to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) in the Democratic primary for governor in 2018, receiving widespread progressive backing, and appears likely to run with a progressive appeal in the Senate race too.
He quickly received an endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who backed his gubernatorial bid.
On his website, El-Sayed calls for a range of policy proposals, including the abolition of medical debt, strong anti-monopoly enforcement, Medicare for All, and debt-free and tuition-free pathways for higher education access, whether in a two-year apprenticeship or four-year college education.
El-Sayed may have other competition for the nomination other than McMorrow, who announced her campaign earlier this month. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) has expressed interest in running and may enter soon, while state Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) has been another rumored possible candidate.
On the Republican side, former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) launched his bid this week after narrowly losing the Senate election last year to Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.).
The race for the seat is expected to be highly competitive in the battleground state. The nonpartisan election handicapper rates the race as a “toss up.”
