Democrat · Michigan Senate · 2026
Abdul El-Sayed
El-Sayed captained his high school football, wrestling and lacrosse teams before becoming a physician.
Biography
Abdul El-Sayed grew up in metro Detroit, the son of an Egyptian immigrant father and a stepmother whose family had lived in Michigan for generations.1 He captained high school football, wrestling and lacrosse teams before playing lacrosse at the University of Michigan.1 He lives in Ann Arbor with his wife, Sarah, a psychiatrist, and their two daughters.1
He earned a medical degree at Columbia and a doctorate in public health at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.2 His career centered on research and public health administration: he taught epidemiology at Columbia before leading Detroit's health department and later Wayne County's Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services.2 He also coauthored a book explaining Medicare for All.2
His initiatives included partnerships providing children with free glasses, broader lead testing in Detroit schools and expanded access to overdose reversal medication.3 In Wayne County, he helped launch a medical debt relief program targeting $700 million; by September 2026, it had canceled more than $95 million for over 100,000 residents.3
He wants Medicare for All covering dental, vision and hearing care without premiums or deductibles, stronger powers to break up health care monopolies and federal abortion protections.4 His tax proposals include taxing capital gains above $1 million like ordinary income and removing the Social Security payroll tax cap.5 He faces Republican Mike Rogers for retiring Senator Gary Peters's seat.3
Record and controversies
Synagogue attack comments and apology
After a March attack on Temple Israel, El-Sayed condemned the attack but also discussed a cycle of violence and said that hurt people hurt people, drawing criticism that he was rationalizing the violence.6 He apologized in August, saying that he should have stopped at condemnation and had not intended to minimize the community's pain.6 PolitiFact rated Rogers' later claim that El-Sayed could not condemn the attacker Mostly False, because his initial statements did condemn the attack; Rogers' campaign disputed the sincerity of his apology.6
False pharmaceutical lobbying claim
PolitiFact rated El-Sayed's claim that Rogers received a $14 million pharmaceutical lobbying payout Pants on Fire, finding no record of that employment or payment.7 After Rogers sent a cease and desist letter, El-Sayed partially walked back the lobbyist description while continuing to criticize Rogers' support for pharmaceutical interests in Congress.7 Rogers does have documented technology consulting income, campaign donations and growth in household assets, but there is no record of a pharmaceutical payout.7
Medical debt claims and progress
A campaign advertisement said $700 million in medical debt had been erased, but Bridge Michigan's June fact check found that this was the program's goal, with about $57.4 million canceled at that point.8 His spokesperson said the program was active and progressing, and that the county had approved the funding for the larger goal during his tenure.8 By September, reporting put the total above $95 million for more than 100,000 residents, still below $700 million.3
Medical degree and clinical practice
El-Sayed earned a Columbia medical degree and an Oxford public health doctorate, but Bridge Michigan reported that he does not hold a license to practice medicine.3 He has said he directed his medical education toward public health and systemic problems instead of individual clinical practice, and disputed criticism of his use of the title physician.3