Democrat candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan. Every point on this page links to its source. We don't grade candidates or tell you how to vote. As of 2026-09-28.
Oriel College; Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons; Andover High School; University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
In their own words, from their campaign website, summarised in plain English.
Economy and cost of living
El-Sayed says he wants an economy built for working people, including the right to join a union, a fair wage, using targeted tariffs to protect Michigan manufacturing, breaking up corporate monopolies, and abolishing medical debt nationwide.
“I believe in an economy built by and for working people.”
El-Sayed says he wants to tax capital gains over $1 million like ordinary income, close the stepped-up basis loophole, tax large inheritances and billionaire wealth, raise the marginal tax rate on income over $1 million, and exempt the first $50,000 of income from federal taxes, while removing corporate money from politics.
“I support taxing capital gains over $1 million at the same rate as ordinary income and closing the stepped-up basis loophole.”
El-Sayed says he wants to pass Medicare for All, expanding Medicare to cover every American from cradle to grave with no premiums, copays or deductibles, abolish medical debt, let Medicare negotiate all drug prices, end pharmacy benefit managers, and stop insurers from overriding doctors' decisions with AI.
“I will fight to expand Medicare to cover all necessary healthcare, including vision, dental, and hearing, and extend it to every single American from cradle to grave without premiums, copays, or deductibles.”
El-Sayed says he opposes privatizing Medicare or cutting Medicaid, wants to expand and improve veterans' benefits and services, and would close the Social Security payroll tax cap so wealthier earners pay more to keep Social Security solvent.
“I’ll also fight to close the Social Security payroll tax cap to make sure the rich pay their fair share so that Social Security stays solvent well into the future.”
El-Sayed says he wants to abolish ICE, which he says has become a tool for autocracy, and replace it with a new system that ensures secure borders while prioritizing human dignity and the rule of law, redirecting funds to build legal infrastructure for a clear pathway to citizenship.
“That begins with Abolishing ICE. ICE has become a tool for autocracy.”
El-Sayed says healthcare decisions, including reproductive and gender-affirming care, should be made only by a patient and their doctor, and he wants to codify the protections once provided by Roe v. Wade into federal law.
“I’ll fight to codify the rights once protected by Roe v. Wade into federal law.”
El-Sayed says he supports a foreign policy centered on diplomacy and human rights, backs Ukraine against Russian invasion, opposes the war in Iran and favors diplomacy over conflict with Iran, opposes blank-check military aid to countries including Israel and supports an arms embargo on Israel, and favors cooperation rather than confrontation with China.
“I oppose the illegal and unjustifiable war in Iran and demand an immediate end to the hostilities.”
El-Sayed says he wants to get corporate money out of politics by overturning Citizens United, banning outside spending groups, and supporting public election funding, along with ending gerrymandering through a nonpartisan redistricting commission, reforming the Supreme Court with term limits, abolishing the filibuster, and making voting easier through automatic registration and expanded absentee/early voting.
“I believe that corporations and special interests shouldn’t be able to buy elections. Period.”
From FEC filings for 2025–26. Outside spending is money a group spends on its own about a candidate — TV and online ads, mail, canvassing. It is not a donation to the campaign, and the candidate does not control it. Supporting means it was spent to help that candidate win; Opposing means it was spent to defeat them, usually on attack ads. Groups report it within 24 or 48 hours as the election nears. Raised is the campaign's own fundraising, as of its latest quarterly report. Largest donors come from each outside spender's own FEC receipts, with each donor's share of its itemized receipts; donors under $100,000 are not named. People are shown with the employer and occupation they reported. A donor that is itself a political committee is shown with its own largest donors. Companies and nonprofits don't report their funders to the FEC, so the trail ends there, and the page says so.
Abdul El-Sayed (DEM)
Raised
$14.5M through 2026-07-15individuals $14.4M · PACs $72K · cash on hand $2.6M
SLF PAC— $21.3M opposing El-Sayed
· 17 ads on this pageLargest donors:
ONE NATION $70.7M (28%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); Miriam Adelson $30.0M (12%), Adelson Drug Clinic, Physician; Stephen A Schwarzman $17.0M (7%), Blackstone, Chairman & CEO; Paul Elliott Singer $14.5M (6%), EMC, President; Elon Musk $10.0M (4%), Space Exploration Technologies Corp., CEOUNITED DEMOCRACY PROJECT ('UDP')— $20.1M opposing El-SayedLargest donors:
AMERICAN ISRAEL PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE $30.0M (28%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); Paul Singer $2.6M (2%), Elliott Investment Management, Founder; Haim Saban $2.0M (2%), Saban Capital Group, CEO; MANZANITA ACTION FUND $1.6M (2%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); Marc Rowan $1.5M (1%), Apollo Management, InvestmentsNO GOING BACK PAC INC.— $12.5M opposing El-SayedAMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY ACTION, INC. (AFP ACTION) DBA CVA ACTION AND DBA LIBRE ACTION— $3.1M opposing El-SayedLargest donors:
KOCH INC $30.0M (33%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); STAND TOGETHER INC. $20.0M (22%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); Jim C Walton $7.0M (8%), Self-Employed, Philanthropist; S Robson Walton $7.0M (8%), Retired, Retired; STAND TOGETHER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE INC $6.5M (7%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC)AMERICA PAC— $2.2M opposing El-Sayed
· 2 ads on this pageLargest donors:
Elon Musk $20.1M (>99%), Space Exploration Technologies Corp., CEOand 38 more
What named supporters and critics say, as reported. Shown in equal numbers.
Praise
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Says El-Sayed is the strongest candidate to keep the Senate seat and is building a winning coalition for working people cnn.com
Accurate?
Elizabeth Warren: Said El-Sayed makes good connections and is focused on lowering costs and making government work for working people cbsnews.com
Accurate?
Kamala Harris: Said El-Sayed understands that power is with the people and that the stakes couldn't be higher in the election thehill.com
Accurate?
Tucker Carlson: Defended El-Sayed's 2021 remarks on 9/11 and the war on terror as correct and not crazy usatoday.com
Accurate?
Criticism
Mike Rogers: Called El-Sayed's essay on breast cancer funding disparaging to women and a slap in the face to women diagnosed with breast cancer detroitnews.com
Accurate?
Haley Stevens: Suggested El-Sayed wants to be a celebrity senator rather than a workhorse cnn.com
Accurate?
United Democracy Project: Attacked El-Sayed for telling Democrats to vote uncommitted in 2024 even after warnings it would help Trump pbs.org
Accurate?
Tommy Tuberville: Called El-Sayed a radical Islamist and a terrorist cnn.com
Accurate?
Controversies
None found that meet the bar: reported by two outlets, or in an official record.
From Semblen
Semblen analyzed 36 ads from Abdul El-Sayed's campaign; 20 used at least one manipulation technique, most often Loaded Language, Appeal to Prejudice, Glittering Generalities. See the ads, the money and every candidate in this race →
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