Democratic Senate candidate can’t hide from ‘defund the police’ comments, no matter how hard he tries

Another Democrat has tried and failed to distance himself from previous statements against law enforcement.

Abdul El-Sayed, the 41-year-old Islamic leftist who ran an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign in 2018 then served two years later on former President Joe Biden’s Unity Task Force for Healthcare, is running as a Democrat to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate.

‘I didn’t want them to be taken out of context like this.’

Enjoying the help of the Democratic Socialists of America and endorsements from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), El-Sayed — the son of an Egyptian immigrant — has led establishment Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens by several points in recent polls ahead of the Michigan Democratic primary on Aug. 4.

Since launching his Senate campaign in April 2025, El-Sayed