Abdul El-Sayed

Abdul El-Sayed
El-Sayed in 2025
Born
Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed

(1984-10-31) October 31, 1984 (age 41)
Rochester Hills, Michigan, U.S.
Education
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Sarah Jukaku
​
(m. 2006)​
Children2
WebsiteCampaign website

Abdulrahman Mohamed "Abdul" El-Sayed (born October 31, 1984) is an American politician and epidemiologist. He is the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in the 2026 election in Michigan. He is a member of the Democratic Party and is seen as politically progressive.

El-Sayed was the executive director of the Detroit Health Department and health officer for the City of Detroit from 2015 to 2017. His essays on public health policy have been published in The New York Times. He unsuccessfully ran for governor of Michigan in 2018.

2018 gubernatorial campaign

On February 9, 2017, the Detroit News reported that El-Sayed would resign as Detroit's health officer to run for governor of Michigan in the 2018 gubernatorial election. El-Sayed received support from many politicians and groups, including Senator Bernie Sanders, Democratic congressional nominee Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Women's March Organizer Linda Sarsour, and by Our Revolution. He lost the nomination to Gretchen Whitmer.

2026 U.S. Senate campaign

On April 17, 2025, El-Sayed announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in the 2026 election after U.S. Senator Gary Peters announced he would not run for reelection.

After Mallory McMorrow withdrew from the Democratic primary in July, the race was seen as a choice between the party's moderate, establishment-backed wing, represented by Congresswoman Haley Stevens, and its progressive wing, represented by El-Sayed.

In August 2026, El-Sayed narrowly won the Democratic nomination, beating Stevens by a 48.5% to 47.5% vote margin.

Personal life

El-Sayed was born and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and lives in Ann Arbor with his wife, Sarah Jukaku, and their two daughters. He is Muslim. His parents are Egyptian immigrants. He studied at the University of Michigan, where he majored in biology and political science.

El-Sayed received a scholarship to the University of Michigan Medical School, where he finished two years of medical school. He received a Rhodes Scholarship and went to Oriel College, Oxford. In 2014, he finished a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. El-Sayed did not get a medical license, and instead went into public health epidemiology work.

References

  1. ↑ "Detroit health director set to make bid for governor".
  2. ↑ "Abdul El-Sayed - Google Scholar Citations". google.com. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  3. ↑ "The Link Between Weight and Health". The New York Times. January 5, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  4. ↑ Ferretti, Christine (February 9, 2017). "Detroit health director set to make bid for governor". The Detroit News.
  5. ↑ "Bernie Sanders on Twitter". Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  6. ↑ Ikonomova, Violet (July 5, 2018). "Socialist hero Ocasio-Cortez endorses El-Sayed for Michigan governor". Detroit Metro Times. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  7. ↑ Reporter, Remy Farkas Daily News. "Abdul El-Sayed hosts townhall with Women's March founder". The Michigan Daily.
  8. ↑ "Dr. Abdul El-Sayed". Our Revolution. Archived from the original on 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
  9. ↑ Glueck, Katie (April 17, 2025). "Michigan's Newest Senate Candidate Urges Tougher Stance on Trump". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 17, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  10. ↑ Hermani, Jordyn (April 11, 2025). "Abdul El-Sayed on US Senate run: "If you want a fighter, I've got receipts"". Bridge Michigan. Archived from the original on April 17, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  11. ↑ Cappelletti, Joey (July 6, 2026). "Democrat Mallory McMorrow suspends her Michigan Senate campaign and scrambles the pivotal race". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 8, 2026. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  12. ↑ Gibbons, Lauren (July 6, 2026). "El-Sayed vs. Stevens: What to know about Michigan's most interesting primary". Bridge Michigan. Archived from the original on July 8, 2026. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  13. ↑ Gomez, Henry J. (August 5, 2026). "Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, notching a Midwest victory for the left". NBC News. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Meet Abdul". Abdul for Senate. Archived from the original on June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  15. ↑ Read, Bridget (August 1, 2018). "Can Abdul El-Sayed Pull Off the Next Big Progressive Midterm Upset in Michigan?". Vogue. Archived from the original on March 27, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  16. ↑ Helms, Matt (November 24, 2015). "Detroit's new public health director aims to innovate". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  17. ↑ Kruse, Michael (July 29, 2026). "Michigan Progressive in Senate Race Thrills and Rattles Democrats". The New York Times. p. A10. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  18. ↑ "U-M dual MD/PhD student named Rhodes Scholar". University of Michigan News. November 26, 2008. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  19. ↑ Haidostian, Lisa (November 23, 2008). "First 'U' student since 2004 wins Rhodes Scholarship". The Michigan Daily. Archived from the original on July 25, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Abdul El-Sayed". rhodesscholarshiptrust.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  21. ↑ El-Sayed, Abdulrahman M. (January 1, 2011). "Inequalities in obesity in England : an agent-based systems approach". Bl.uk. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Meet the Fellows". pdsoros.org. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Alumni Directory". columbia.edu. April 13, 2015. Archived from the original on June 22, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Michigan Senate hopeful El-Sayed calls himself a 'physician' but has little history treating patients". POLITICO. May 12, 2026. Retrieved June 12, 2026.

Other websites

Media related to Abdul El-Sayed at Wikimedia Commons