Progressive Democrat Dr Abdul El-Sayed in Tight Race for Michigan Senate Primary

Progressive Democrat Dr Abdul El-Sayed is in a tight race to win Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary.

The August 4 race has yet to be declared as votes are still being counted as of Wednesday morning, but NBC News has projected El-Sayed will emerge victorious.

If successful, the Bernie Sanders-backed candidate will defeat centrist Representative Haley Stevens in an election that underscored a growing divide between the Democratic Party establishment and its progressive wing.

The victor will take on Republican former Representative Mike Rogers in the race to replace retiring Senator Gary Peters in November.

“Whatever happens tonight, we have a responsibility to ensure that we unite,” El-Sayed told supporters, “to make sure that Mike Rogers never sees the inside of the U.S. Senate.

El-Sayed centered his campaign around advocating for Medicare for All and ending U.S. military aid to Israel. Below we look in more detail at his background and views.

El-Sayed sits firmly on the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, racking up endorsements from Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

On his campaign website, El-Sayed says that he supports reforms to the Supreme Court, including ending life-time appointments and imposing limited terms.

The Democratic candidate also backs overturning a Supreme Court decision that classed political spending by corporations as being a form of protected speech under the First Amendment.

Healthcare reform was a key part of El-Sayed’s campaign, with the candidate previously co-authoring Medicare for All: A Citizen’s Guide and working on President Biden’s Unity Task Force for Healthcare.

El-Sayed has also called for an end to U.S. military aid and weapons sales to Israel, which he has described as a “rogue state.”

El-Sayed was raised in Southeastern Michigan by his father Mohamed, an Egyptian immigrant, and stepmother, Jackie. His stepmother’s family has lived in Gratiot County since the 1800s, the candidate’s campaign website says.

Growing up, he attended public schools and captained his high school’s football, wrestling and lacrosse teams.

El-Sayed went on to study at the University of Michigan, before earning his medical degree from Columbia University and a second doctorate from the University of Oxford.

The Democratic candidate currently lives in Ann Arbor, a city around 45 miles west of Detroit, with his wife Sarah.

On Instagram, he has described his wife as his “rock” and the “greatest mother” to their daughters Emmalee and Serene.

El-Sayed has served as the executive director of the Detroit Health Department and the Health Officer for the City of Detroit from 2015 to 2017.

The now-Senate candidate also ran in the 2018 Democratic primary as a candidate to become governor of Michigan but was defeated.

That same year, he founded Southpaw Michigan, a political action committee designed to elect progressive candidates.

Mike Rogers, a former lieutenant in the U.S. Army and FBI special agent, has been endorsed by President Trump.

Rogers has praised Trump’s record, claiming: “Whether it be securing our borders at lightning speed, championing historic tax cuts for working families, protecting girls’ sports, reshoring Michigan manufacturing jobs; or making housing affordable again, President Trump has put working families first.”