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Abdul El-Sayed

Abdulrahman Mohamed "Abdul" El-Sayed (born October 31, 1984) is an American politician and epidemiologist who is the United States Senator-elect from Michigan. He is a member of the Democratic Party.[1] He is seen as politically progressive. He is the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.[2]

Abdul El-Sayed
Abdul El-Sayed meet-and-greet by Conlan Houston 5 (cropped).jpg
El-Sayed in 2025
United States Senator-elect
from Michigan
Assuming office
January 3, 2027
SucceedingGary Peters
Personal details
Born
Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed

31 October 1984 (aged 42)
Rochester Hills, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children2
Education
WebsiteCampaign website

El-Sayed was the executive director of the Detroit Health Department and health officer for the City of Detroit from 2015 to 2017.[3] His essays on public health policy have been published in The New York Times.[4] 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.[5] El-Sayed received support from many politicians and groups, including Senator Bernie Sanders,[6] Democratic congressional nominee Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,[7] Women's March Organizer Linda Sarsour,[8] and by Our Revolution.[9] 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.[10][11]

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.[12][13]

In August 2026, El-Sayed narrowly won the Democratic nomination, beating Stevens by a 48.5% to 47.5% vote margin.[14]

In November 2026, El-Sayed beat Republican nominee Mike Rogers in the general election, becoming the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.[2]

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.[15] He is Muslim.[16][17] His parents are Egyptian immigrants.[18] He studied at the University of Michigan, where he majored in biology and political science.[19]

El-Sayed received a scholarship to the University of Michigan Medical School, where he finished two years of medical school.[20] He received a Rhodes Scholarship and went to Oriel College, Oxford.[21][22] In 2014, he finished a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.[23][24] El-Sayed did not get a medical license, and instead went into public health epidemiology work.[25]

Abdul El-Sayed Media

References

  1. ↑ Detroit health director set to make bid for governor.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 El-Sayed defeats Rogers to become America's first Muslim U.S. senator (November 3, 2026)Detroit News. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
  3. ↑ Abdul El-Sayed - Google Scholar Citations. google.com. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  4. ↑ The Link Between Weight and Health. The New York Times (January 5, 2013). Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  5. ↑ Ferretti, Christine. Detroit health director set to make bid for governor. The Detroit News (February 9, 2017).
  6. ↑ Bernie Sanders on Twitter. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  7. ↑ Ikonomova, Violet (July 5, 2018). Socialist hero Ocasio-Cortez endorses El-Sayed for Michigan governor. https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2018/07/05/socialist-hero-ocasio-cortez-endorses-el-sayed-for-michigan-governor. Retrieved July 5, 2018. 
  8. ↑ Reporter, Remy Farkas Daily News. Abdul El-Sayed hosts townhall with Women’s March founder. The Michigan Daily.
  9. ↑ Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. Our Revolution. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
  10. ↑ Glueck, Katie (April 17, 2025). "Michigan's Newest Senate Candidate Urges Tougher Stance on Trump" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/us/politics/michigan-senate-race-abdul-el-sayed.html. Retrieved April 17, 2025. 
  11. ↑ Hermani, Jordyn. Abdul El-Sayed on US Senate run: "If you want a fighter, I've got receipts" (in en-US). Bridge Michigan (April 11, 2025). Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  12. ↑ Cappelletti, Joey (July 6, 2026). "Democrat Mallory McMorrow suspends her Michigan Senate campaign and scrambles the pivotal race". Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/michigan-senate-democratic-primary-mcmorrow-stevens-elsayed-2f99c6e065402f730fc8925b5a43c788. Retrieved July 9, 2026. 
  13. ↑ Gibbons, Lauren (July 6, 2026). "El-Sayed vs. Stevens: What to know about Michigan's most interesting primary". Bridge Michigan. https://bridgemi.com/michigan-government/el-sayed-vs-stevens-what-to-know-about-michigans-most-interesting-primary/. Retrieved July 9, 2026. 
  14. ↑ Gomez, Henry J. (August 5, 2026). "Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, notching a Midwest victory for the left". NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/abdul-el-sayed-wins-michigans-democratic-senate-primary-notching-midwe-rcna589750. Retrieved August 5, 2026. 
  15. ↑ Meet Abdul. Abdul for Senate. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  16. ↑ Read, Bridget (August 1, 2018). "Can Abdul El-Sayed Pull Off the Next Big Progressive Midterm Upset in Michigan?" (in en-US). Vogue. https://www.vogue.com/article/abdul-el-sayed-michigan-governor-democratic-primary-interview. Retrieved January 19, 2020. 
  17. ↑ Helms, Matt. Detroit's new public health director aims to innovate. Detroit Free Press (November 24, 2015). Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  18. ↑ Kruse, Michael (July 29, 2026). Michigan Progressive in Senate Race Thrills and Rattles Democrats. p. A10. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/us/politics/el-sayed-michigan-senate.html. Retrieved August 2, 2026. 
  19. ↑ U-M dual MD/PhD student named Rhodes Scholar. University of Michigan News (November 26, 2008). Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  20. ↑ Haidostian, Lisa. First 'U' student since 2004 wins Rhodes Scholarship. The Michigan Daily (November 23, 2008). Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  21. ↑ Abdul El-Sayed. rhodesscholarshiptrust.com. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  22. ↑ El-Sayed, Abdulrahman M.. Inequalities in obesity in England : an agent-based systems approach. Bl.uk (January 1, 2011). Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  23. ↑ Meet the Fellows. pdsoros.org. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  24. ↑ Alumni Directory. columbia.edu (April 13, 2015). Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  25. ↑ Michigan Senate hopeful El-Sayed calls himself a 'physician' but has little history treating patients (in en). POLITICO (May 12, 2026). Retrieved June 12, 2026.

Other websites

Media related to Abdul El-Sayed at Wikimedia Commons

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  • Appearances on C-SPAN
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