Abdul El-Sayed

Why they say you should vote for them

The candidate's own case to voters, summarized from their campaign and public statements.

• Says his three priorities in the Senate are to "get money out of politics, put money in your pocket, and pass Medicare for All."[1]
• Says he is the only candidate in the race who has never taken corporate money and pledges never to do so.[3],[6]
• Points to his record rebuilding Detroit's health department after the city's bankruptcy and restructuring Wayne County's health department, including a program to cancel up to $700 million in medical debt.[2],[6]
• Says that as a doctor and public health official he would bring health expertise to the Senate, and notes there has not been a Democratic doctor in the Senate since 1969.[5],[6]

Background

• Director and Health Officer, Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services · 2022–2025[6]
• Member, Unity Task Force on health care, Biden presidential campaign · 2020[2]
• Democratic candidate for governor (lost primary), Michigan gubernatorial election · 2018[6]
• Executive Director and Health Officer, Detroit Health Department · 2015–2017[6]
• Assistant professor of epidemiology, Columbia University · Before 2015[6]

Education

• B.S. in biology and political science, University of Michigan (2007)[6]
• D.Phil. in public health (Rhodes Scholar), University of Oxford (2011)[6],[2]
• M.D., Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (2014)[6]

Where they stand

• Health Care
  Supports Medicare for All covering every American, including vision, dental and hearing, with no premiums, copays or deductibles. Supports abolishing medical debt and repealing the Medicaid and ACA subsidy cuts in the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act.[5]
• Taxes
  Supports taxing capital gains and inheritances over $1 million as ordinary income, raising the top marginal rate on earnings over $1 million, and a tax on wealth over $1 billion.[4]
• Economy & Jobs
  Supports targeted tariffs to protect Michigan manufacturing, with unions given a significant voice in economic decisions, and called the Trump administration's tariffs "hamfisted" in an October 2026 debate. Supports the PRO Act and stronger antitrust enforcement.[4],[7],[6]
• Immigration
  Supports abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and replacing it with a new enforcement structure; says he believes in a safe, secure border, and in an October 2026 debate agreed that people convicted of murder should be deported.[3],[7]
• Foreign Policy
  Opposes the war with Iran and calls for an immediate end to hostilities. Supports an immediate arms embargo on Israel and enforcement of U.S. laws that place conditions on military aid and sales; cites U.S. support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion as an example of upholding international rules.[3]
• Elections & Democracy
  Supports overturning Citizens United, banning super PAC and corporate outside spending, abolishing the Senate filibuster, and Supreme Court term limits. Opposes mandatory voter ID laws such as the SAVE Act.[3]
• Energy & Environment
  Supports a pathway to 100% renewable energy, writing the EPA's greenhouse-gas Endangerment Finding into law, and shutting down the Line 5 pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac.[3]
• Abortion
  Supports writing the abortion rights once protected by Roe v. Wade into federal law.[5]

Voting record

Abdul El-Sayed has not held an office with a recorded voting record. See Background and Where they stand.

In their words