Michigan’s Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, Abdul El-Sayed, on Sunday said the party has its differences but stands united in its desire to combat the “moral rot” at the Trump administration and corporate interests.
Mr. El-Sayed stressed Democratic unity after he narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in a hard-fought Democratic primary that exposed fractures between the party establishment and its uber-liberal wing.
“The differences that we hashed out are so much smaller than the similarities that we share,” Mr. El-Sayed told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Mr. El-Sayed recently spoke to Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, hoping to patch things up with the Democratic leader after sparring during the primary. The nominee also spoke to former President Barack Obama.
Mr. El-Sayed said he is confident he can defeat Republican nominee Mike Rogers, a former congressman, and outlined a rough agenda if Democrats retake the Senate majority.
“The first thing we need to do is start holding the Trump administration accountable,” Mr. El-Sayed said.
He said Democrats should exercise their subpoena power to examine whether the president’s team used policies for “their gain and enrichment, and against ours.”
Mr. El-Sayed, an epidemiologist, wants to haul Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. before Congress to examine his unorthodox views and stewardship of public health, citing a recent lettuce-driven outbreak of explosive diarrhea.
He also wants to re-examine the tax system to make sure it is fair for lower-income people, not just the wealthy
Mr. El-Sayed ran on liberal policies such as government-run, single-payer health care and higher taxes on billionaires.
He does not describe himself as a socialist, though President Trump and Republicans say he is part of a rising tide of socialist policies in the Democratic Party. The president goes an extra step, dubbing them communists.
Mr. Trump recently posted a photo of himself and first lady Melania Trump side by side with one of Mr. El-Sayed and his wife, who wore a hijab. The post was captioned “Two very different America’s [sic],” suggesting a criticism of Muslims.
Mr. El-Sayed did not hold back in his response to CNN about the social media post, saying Mr. Trump is “right” about two different Americas.
“One in which your overlords are two people who don’t like each other but joined in the interest of making billions of dollars off of you, or two people who genuinely love each other who enjoy some pancakes together,” he said.
Mr. El-Sayed is among Democrats in the vein of Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent, who want to push bold ideas such as “Medicare for all” but face harsh realities in getting there, including the Senate filibuster requiring 60 votes to advance legislation.
Mr. El-Sayed said while liberals fight for single-payer health care, they can take interim steps such as restoring supersized Obamacare subsidies that were canceled by Republican majorities in this Congress.
“I think we need to start with making those whole,” Mr. El-Sayed said. “But Medicare for all is where we need to go.”
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