Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat and former Wayne County health director, is running for U.S. Senate in Michigan in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.
The race also includes Republican Mike Rogers, Green Party candidate Douglas P. Marsh, Libertarian Lydia Christensen, U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate Tim Long and Natural Law candidate Walter P. Kristy, according to the Michigan Department of State’s official candidate listing.
The Rochester Register candidate questionnaire was sent to Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign. No response was received as of Oct. 13, 2026. The policy positions below are drawn from his public campaign website and public records.
Candidate information
- Party: Democratic
- Office sought: U.S. Senate, Michigan
- Residence: Ann Arbor, according to his campaign biography.
- Family: His campaign biography states that he lives with his wife, Sarah, and their two daughters, Emmalee and Serene.
- Education: Graduate of the University of Michigan; medical degree from Columbia University; doctorate in population health from the University of Oxford, according to his campaign biography and Columbia University.
Experience and public service
El-Sayed led Wayne County’s Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services from 2023 to 2025. County records show his appointment as director was approved in February 2023 and his appointment as local health officer took effect March 1, 2023.
He previously led the Detroit Health Department from 2015 to 2017. Before joining the department, he was an assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia University, according to Columbia’s announcement.
El-Sayed ran in Michigan’s Democratic primary for governor in 2018. His campaign biography also highlights his work on a Wayne County medical-debt relief program and his book, “Medicare for All: A Citizen’s Guide.”
On the issues
Health care: El-Sayed supports expanding Medicare to cover every American, including vision, dental and hearing care, without premiums, copays or deductibles.
“No one should have to choose between getting the care they need or going into debt in the richest, most powerful country in the world,” he writes on his campaign’s health care page.
His proposals include allowing Medicare to negotiate prices for every prescription drug, public manufacturing of essential medications such as insulin and eliminating pharmacy benefit managers, companies that manage prescription drug benefits. He also supports the Break Up Big Medicine Act and stronger federal authority to review and break up health care monopolies.
Housing: On his economic policy page, El-Sayed calls for increased investment in housing construction and streamlined local regulations.
He proposes banning large corporations from owning homes for speculation and banning software that enables landlords to coordinate rent increases. He also supports housing dislocation fees for companies such as Airbnb and Vrbo and a federal renter bill of rights.
Taxes and budget: El-Sayed proposes taxing capital gains above $1 million and inheritances greater than $1 million at ordinary income rates. His campaign platform also calls for a federal cost-of-living tax exemption of up to $50,000 and removing the cap on earnings subject to Social Security payroll taxes.
Government reform: El-Sayed’s government reform platform calls for overturning Citizens United, restricting corporate and super PAC election spending, public election funding and campaign spending caps.
He also supports abolishing the Senate filibuster and replacing lifetime Supreme Court appointments with limited terms.
Education: El-Sayed supports universal child care, universal prekindergarten and a minimum teacher salary of at least $60,000 a year, according to his campaign platform.
He also proposes increased investment in school buildings, nurses, psychologists, social workers and other support staff, along with full federal funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Endorsements
El-Sayed’s campaign website lists endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Michigan AFL-CIO, AFSCME, AFT Michigan, National Nurses United, MoveOn and the Working Families Party, among others.
