Who is Abdul El-Sayed and what is El-Sayed running on in the 2026 Michigan Senate race?

Abdul El-Sayed is the Democratic candidate for Michigan U.S. Senate. Physician and epidemiologist; former Wayne County health director (2023-2025) and Detroit health director; 2018 gubernatorial candidate; won Aug 2026 primary over Rep. Haley Stevens by about 1 point. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

The race

• The seat: Open seat (Democrat Gary Peters not seeking a third term).
• Rating: Toss-up (Cook, Apr 2026).
• Polling: El-Sayed 48, Rogers 46 (Emerson, Sept 12 to 14, 2026); Aug polls: Susquehanna El-Sayed 46 to 39, AARP 48 to 47, GBAO (D-sponsored) 50 to 44.

Why El-Sayed is ahead

• Polls consistently show El-Sayed narrowly ahead (Emerson Sept: 48 to 46; four August polls all had him leading).
• National environment and Trump unpopularity in Michigan: Trump 40% approve / 55% disapprove in Emerson’s Sept poll.
• Republicans have not won a Michigan Senate race since 1994; Rogers already lost in 2024 to Elissa Slotkin by under 20,000 votes.
• Rogers‘ favorability is net negative (42/46) vs El-Sayed’s net positive (49/44); GOP attacks on El-Sayed as ’too far left’ have not yet moved general-election polls.
• Rogers’ path: strong with non-college voters (48 to 45) and $45M+ outside spending pledge from Senate Leadership Fund.

What El-Sayed is running on

• Healthcare. Supports single-payer Medicare for All, with supplemental private insurance options for workers.
• Economy / cost of living. Backs union growth, anti-monopoly enforcement, ending corporate tax breaks, a wealth tax on high earners and lower utility costs.
• Money in politics. Campaign slogan ‘money out of politics, money in your pocket, Medicare for All’; criticized AIPAC’s spending against him in the primary.
• AI / data centers. Calls for regulating AI firms like utilities and binding developers and utilities to keep electricity rates down.
• Immigration. Calls for abolishing ICE, saying agents are being deployed as a paramilitary force.
• Foreign policy. Critic of US aid to the Israeli government.
• Trump. Strongly critical of Trump and JD Vance.

In El-Sayed’s own words

“We took on a machine. You’re not supposed to be able to beat $70 million of outside spending.”

“They’re going to try and paint me as a certain thing given my name, but…America is a lot bigger than very small people like Donald Trump or JD Vance or Mike Rogers want to make it out to be.”

The other candidates

• Mike Rogers (R)

Every race

See every Senate and governor race on the ballot, with each candidate’s chance of winning: the 2026 midterms at a glance.