Abdul El-Sayed faces scrutiny over past research in Michigan Senate race

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is facing criticism from opponents and media outlets over his past academic work, the New York Post reported. The New York Post said El-Sayed authored more than 50 research papers while at Columbia Medical School between 2007 and 2014, with several focusing on race and religion. The publication highlighted a 2011 study titled Suicide among Arab Americans, which was funded in part by National Institutes of Health grants. [1]

The scrutiny comes alongside recent political debates where Fox News reported that El-Sayed stated he has never been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and never will be. As FTMQ News reported earlier, El-Sayed is the Democratic nominee for the 2026 United States Senate election in Michigan, where he is running against Republican candidate Mike Rogers. FTMQ News also noted earlier that Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez transferred 1 million dollars from her campaign to support El-Sayed. [5][9][10]

Beyond his academic background, El-Sayed previously served as executive director of the Detroit Health Department from 2015 to 2017. He later directed Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services, where he oversaw care for 1.8 million residents and worked on medical debt cancellation initiatives. El-Sayed is an advocate for single-payer healthcare, authored Medicare for All: A Citizen's Guide, and served on President Joe Biden's 2020 Unity Task Force for Healthcare. [7]

In a separate interview, Bon Appétit reported that El-Sayed discussed his Egyptian American upbringing and his political focus on making groceries affordable. Recent polling indicates a tight contest, with FTMQ News reporting earlier that El-Sayed leads Rogers within the margin of error as the election approaches. [6][10]