By As Michigan voters prepare to cast their ballots in one of the country’s most consequential Senate primaries, Muslim Girl Founder and Editor-in-Chief Amani Al-Khatahtbeh sat down with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed for a conversation about healthcare, democracy, the future of the Democratic Party — and, most importantly, being a girl dad.
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed has spent years building coalitions around healthcare, economic justice, and democratic participation in Michigan. Now, as he seeks a seat in the United States Senate, his campaign has become one of the most closely watched races in the country, not only because of the policies at stake, but because of what his candidacy represents.
For American Muslims, the moment carries additional significance. If elected, Dr. El-Sayed would become the first Muslim to serve in the United States Senate, marking another milestone in a generation of Muslim public servants increasingly helping shape American civic life.
Muslim Girl sat down with Dr. El-Sayed just days before voters headed to the polls to discuss the stakes of the race, his vision for the country, and why he believes Michigan often tells us where America is headed next.
MUSLIM GIRL: Can you tell us why your race is so consequential for anyone watching?
ABDUL EL-SAYED: We’ve all been watching the circumstances that have led us to this moment. We’ve failed to provide people with health care at home while sending money abroad to Israel to drop bombs on other people’s kids. That money should be spent here at home.
I spent my career as a health director putting glasses on kids, fighting for health care and making sure children weren’t being poisoned by lead in their schools. Every time you propose programs like eliminating medical debt, people ask, “Doctor, how are you going to pay for that?” Maybe if we didn’t fight unnecessary wars and subsidize genocide and apartheid, we would have the resources to pay for the things people need.
We have not had representation in the U.S. Senate willing to stand firmly on these issues from the beginning, and I hope to offer that.
Michigan is the beating heart of American politics. We need to prove that, even in a so-called “purple” state, we can win on foundational goals: getting money out of politics, putting money back in people’s pockets by standing with unions, taxing billionaires, guaranteeing health care through Medicare for All and defending human rights, including the rights of Palestinians.
This race is consequential because if you believe in an America true to its ideals—where government is of the people, by the people and for the people—then this is a critical moment.
As a Muslim Arab man, do you consider yourself America First?
I do. I’m a Muslim Arab man, but I’m also a child of Michigan, born and raised. I’m a doctor by training, and I’ve rebuilt health departments. My work has been about domestic policy: making sure kids have access to what they need and helping people who are struggling under the weight of medical debt.
Every time you try to take on these issues, people ask, “How are you going to pay for it?” Meanwhile, we spend billions of dollars on wars and foreign priorities while people here at home struggle to afford health care, education and basic needs. I want my money spent here—to provide health care, good schools, and infrastructure. That’s why we pay our taxes, and that’s what I’d like to see my taxes do.
I’m running against a candidate backed by significant outside spending, and I believe our resources should be focused on communities here at home. I’m an American and I want my money spent here in America, where our kids deserve good things.
“I have two little girls at home. They’re three and eight, and I would do anything to protect them. I hope everyone would feel the same way about every child.”
As a doctor, public health has always been central to your work. We recently saw the tragic story of a one-year-old Black child who was shot by police in Mississippi, and many people have drawn parallels to the killing of children in the West Bank using weapons funded by U.S. tax dollars. As a future senator, how do these issues fit into your platform, and how do they connect to the average American?
Who are we as a society if we can’t protect our kids? There’s no excuse for a child ever being harmed. Society exists to protect children, yet we’re also sending resources toward violence that harms children overseas. It doesn’t make sense to me. We should be asking how we reorient society to protect the most vulnerable. If more of us saw our own child in every child, imagine what society would look like.
I have two little girls at home. They’re three and eight, and I would do anything to protect them. I hope everyone would feel the same way about every child. When I see other people’s children, whether they’re in my community, in the South, in Gaza or in Sudan, I understand that their well-being is tied to our own. It would fundamentally change how we think about politics, what we fund, and where we invest our money if we saw every child as our own.
Why should people outside Michigan care about what’s happening in this race?
Michigan is one of the seven states everyone watches during a presidential election. Imagine what it means if Michigan elects a guy named Abdul El-Sayed to the U.S. Senate in 2026. Think about what that says to every candidate running for president in 2028 about how you win in these Blue Wall states.
We’ve been told Michigan is a purple state, so politicians moderate their views until they end up saying nothing at all. But what happens if someone actually shows up and says something? Michigan voted for Bernie Sanders in 2016, then Trump, then Biden, then Trump again. Either we’re wildly inconsistent, or people keep going back to the political buffet and not finding what they want.
I’m running against a bipartisan consensus that says corporations should be able to buy our politicians, that we should unconditionally support Israel, and that guaranteed health care isn’t possible because health care CEOs wouldn’t make enough money. I’m challenging that consensus, and I believe you can win by offering people something different. People across the country have a stake in this race. You may not be able to vote in Michigan, but you can support this campaign.
This race is essentially me versus AIPAC. They’ve called me the most dangerous candidate for the U.S.-Israel relationship. They’ve already spent millions to defeat this campaign, and they’ll do whatever it takes to win.
My message is simple: if you believe you can defeat a campaign built on getting money out of politics, putting money back in people’s pockets, and fighting for Medicare for All, then come. People want their resources invested here at home and they want their communities supported.
“I was supposed to be a cab driver in Egypt. I got a front-row seat to what my life could have been, but through the accident of history, I was born in the greatest country in the history of the world.”
New Jersey recently elected a fellow Egyptian American doctor, our friend Dr. Adam Hamawy, in a historic race. Does that tell you anything about what people want right now and the direction the country is heading?
The mood is changing in this country. People are sick and tired of being lied to. They’re tired of being gatekept and told who they can’t vote for, what they shouldn’t fight for, or that corporations know what’s best for them. People are seeing the truth.
I was born and raised in Michigan. My dad is an Egyptian immigrant, and my stepmom, who raised me, is a Daughter of the American Revolution. I’ve spent my whole life explaining myself in every room I walk into. What I’ve learned is that people are far more interested in what you stand for than how you pray. They’re more interested in whether you care to know their name than what your name is. Ultimately, they want to know what you’re going to do for them.
I’m running to get people health care. I want their money spent here at home. I want our country to live on the right side of its values. I want corporations to stop controlling our politics, and I want us to fight for the things people need and deserve. That’s what this campaign is about.
Both Zohran Mamdani and Adam Hamawy experienced extreme instances of Islamophobia during their campaigns. They were called terrorists and faced significant mudslinging. Have you experienced that kind of anti-Muslim sentiment?
Honestly, I don’t pay much attention to it. I’ve been called those names before. When people come after us because of our names or our faith, they’re really attacking the vision of America that says anybody and everybody can belong here. It’s less an attack on me than it is on the idea of America itself.
I was supposed to be a cab driver in Egypt. I got a front-row seat to what my life could have been, but through the accident of history, I was born in the greatest country in the history of the world. I want that America to be America for all of her children. I want us to be a place where our ideals ring true no matter where you are.
How does being a girl dad affect the way you’re running this race?
My daughters are the levity in my life—they remind me what matters most. Every day I get to see the future in my girls when I’m at home. It teaches you about loving beauty, joy and meaning, and about what we all want for our kids.
Last time I ran, my daughter was born in the middle of the race. This time around, I get to go home, and my eight-year-old understands that I’m doing this thing. My three-year-old has no idea what’s happening. She just wants me to read a book, cuddle, or have a tea party.
For all the young Muslims watching your race, especially those who were born into the post-9/11 era, what lesson do you hope they take away?
Be yourself. You have a lot to offer, and the only person who can deny you that is you. People are going to say a lot of things. But if you have the privilege of being the first, remember that you’re not just doing it for yourself. You’re doing it for everybody else.
We don’t get to complain. I know a lot of people say, “It’s so hard”. But imagine the privilege of being the first—of carrying a torch and paving a path for anyone and everyone who’s ever been told they don’t belong.
This is about building an America where anybody and everybody gets to thrive. And if you get to be someone who helps build that America, what a privilege that is. Don’t let people dim your shine. Remember that you have something to offer. When you put yourself out there, you find many people who will accept you, empower you and lift you up. That has been one of the greatest joys for me—connecting with people who look like me and people who don’t.
Michigan Primary Day is August 4th. Check out abdulforsenate.com make a contribution or sign up to volunteer from anywhere in the country for door knocking, phone banking, or texting voters to make history.
Edited for conciseness and clarity by Hadiqah Khalil.