Abdul El-Sayed, a former Michigan health official known for his pro-Palestinian sympathies, has jumped into the Democratic primary to replace the retiring Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., in the Senate.
El-Sayed, who served as the director of the Wayne County public health department from March 2023 until this month, previously ran unsuccessfully for Michigan governor in 2018. He lost by a wide margin to Gretchen Whitmer in the Democrat primary. This time, El-Sayed faces a Democrat field that includes state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and potentially Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich.
On the Republican side, former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., has declared his candidacy for the seat as well. Rogers narrowly lost the 2024 Michigan Senate race to Elissa Slotkin.
El-Sayed has had a distinguished career in one of the Democratic Party’s most loyal constituencies: higher education. After…
