DETROIT (WWJ) – The former Wayne County Heath Director and Democratic candidate for governor entered the race for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat.
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is the second Democrat to put his name in the running, in what could be one of the most watched races in the 2026 midterm elections. Current Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is not seeking reelection.
El-Sayed released a video announcement on his social media platforms this morning.
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, of Royal Oak, is also running as a Democrat. Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers is vying for the seat as a Republican.
El-Sayed talked to WWJ’s Chris Fillar about the biggest issues he’d tackle as a senator, saying he got into politics because he wants everyone to have free healthcare.
“There is no health without being able to know that you can get the means of health, and that means a healthy economy,” he told Fillar. “It is time for us to deliver an economy where people have power, where this is the best possible place to build a small business.”
El-Sayed ran for governor in 2018 as a progressive Democrat and was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders. He came in second in the Democratic primary, losing to Gretchen Whitmer by more than 20 points.
Sen. Sanders has also endorsed El-Sayed for the U.S. Senate, writing on X (formerly Twitter), that he’s a candidate who will fight for the working class.
“The fight has to be in the U.S. Senate, and we have to be honest about what we believe, if we’re willing to fight back,” said El-Sayed. “That means traveling the state, the same way that I did last time, listening to people, turning that into public policy solutions, and going out and turning them into reality.”
