Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is facing criticism after a 2018 video clip resurfaced showing him saying he hated Mackinac Island. El-Sayed, a 41-year-old doctor born and raised in Michigan, won Tuesday's Democratic primary by defeating moderate Congresswoman Haley Stevens. He raised over $2.3 million in the two days following his victory.
The Bernie Sanders-endorsed left-winger, whom Donald Trump previously referred to as a "communist loser," is dealing with backlash over comments made during a tour of the popular vacation spot. Mackinac Island is located almost 300 miles north of Detroit near the Canadian border. At the time, El-Sayed was running for governor and bemoaned the idea of living part-time at the island's official gubernatorial summer residence.
In the 2018 video, El-Sayed said, "It’s funny cause, like, if we win, this is gonna be, like, the summer home. I’m just gonna be like every time I’ve ever come here. I’’ve hated it. Why am I here?"
El-Sayed later responded on social media to an account that referred to Mackinac Island as "the most American place in Michigan." He wrote, "Not sure about “End Wokeness,” but I don’t think the most “American place in MI” can be a place that…bans cars," referencing Michigan's history as an auto manufacturing hub. Cars have been banned from the island since the 1890s, leaving travel restricted to foot, bicycle, or horse-drawn carriage.
Republican Opposition and Primary Vote
El-Sayed's Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, pounced on the resurfaced clip by sharing multiple photos of himself and his wife on the island. Captioning a photo of them eating ice cream, Rogers wrote, "There's no place like Mackinac."
In Tuesday's primary, El-Sayed lost Mackinac County to Stevens by four percentage points out of approximately 1,400 votes cast. The Daily Mail reached out to the El-Sayed campaign for comment regarding the controversy.
Conservative strategists have long sought El-Sayed as the opponent for Rogers, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary after an early Trump endorsement cleared the GOP field. Rogers was previously caught on tape stating he would be "in good shape" in a general election matchup against El-Sayed.
El-Sayed has challenged Rogers to five debates. Speaking to supporters in Detroit, El-Sayed said, "We took on a machine. The power of our many is greater than the power of their money." Stevens called El-Sayed on Wednesday morning to concede the race and pledged her support for his campaign.
Vice President JD Vance jabbed at El-Sayed during remarks at the White House on Wednesday. Vance stated that no one knows what a future administration could look like, adding, "God forbid you're gonna have President El-Sayed in three years."
Michigan Senate Race Dynamics
Michigan's Senate seat is open because two-term Democratic Senator Gary Peters is retiring. The race could decide overall control of the United States Senate. Republicans have not won a Senate race in Michigan since 1994, though Rogers came within 19,000 votes of beating Elissa Slotkin in 2024, losing 48.6 percent to 48.3 percent in the same election cycle that Trump carried the state.
Jessica Anderson, president of the Sentinel Action Fund which backs Rogers, said the primary outcome "should make the choice easy in November" by pitting "a far-Left socialist" against "an America First leader." Anderson added, "This election is no longer just Democrat versus Republican. It is socialism versus solutions." Sentinel and its sister group Right Vote have committed a total of $15 million to the Michigan race.
While pre-election polling forecasted a double-digit victory for El-Sayed, the actual outcome turned out to be a tight result that left Democrats anxious. The New York Times estimated El-Sayed would win by 1.5 percentage points based on more than 90 percent of the counted vote. El-Sayed's lead narrowed through election night as votes were tallied from Wayne County, home to Detroit and the state's largest voting population.
Democratic Party Concerns
Despite enthusiasm for El-Sayed's campaigning ability, some Democrats have expressed concern over whether he can build a coalition broad enough to win in November. Democratic strategist Adam Jentleson highlighted potential general election challenges facing the candidate.
Jentleson wrote, "He enters the general election trailing his Republican opponent in the gold standard MI poll, in a state Biden won in 2020 while other Democrats are posting leads over Republicans in states Trump won by double digits." Jentleson added, "I believe Abdul can win because he is so talented. But it is also not irrational to worry."
