Abdul El‑Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, is shutting down talk of higher political aspirations.
“I have no intention of ever running for president. That is not a thing I have ever wanted to do,” Mr. El‑Sayed said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Mr. El‑Sayed, who is vying to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, said he would like to serve in the Senate “for a long time to come.”
People were interested in these podcasts
“I’m looking forward to serving out the next six years. I’m honored to get to do this,” he said confidently about his prospects in the Nov. 3 election.
Mr. El‑Sayed faces former Rep. Mike Rogers, who is hoping to flip the Senate seat for Republicans after falling short in his 2024 bid against Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin.
The two traded personal barbs during their first debate last week.
“Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker asked Mr. El‑Sayed about Mr. Rogers’ attempts to tie him and his family to the Muslim Brotherhood, offshoots of which are designated as terrorist organizations.
Mr. El‑Sayed said he and his family have no such ties. He said Mr. Rogers’ attempts to call attention to his Muslim faith as a point of difference is “the approach of small people with small ideas, who don’t really care about solving big problems.”
“All he’s got is to point to me and say, ‘Well, let me say some scary words and it’ll work.’ It’s not going to work. Michiganders are too big for that,” Mr. El‑Sayed said.
The NBC interview touched on several topics, including Mr. El‑Sayed’s support for eliminating the filibuster and willingness to back primary campaigns against Democrats who are not aligned with his views.
“Primarying people like [Pennsylvania Sen.] John Fetterman, I have no problem to do that. I’m looking forward to it,” Mr. El‑Sayed said. “What happens is ideally you put one over on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message.”
Mr. El‑Sayed also spoke about his support for a “Medicare for All” universal healthcare plan. He said his goal is not to eliminate private insurance, although he suggested much of that coverage would become “redundant.
“I don’t want to take anything away. This is about what we offer to people,” he said. “What Medicare for all is, is guaranteed health insurance from cradle to the moment you pass away … without premiums or copays or deductibles.”
He said “if people want to keep their private insurance above and beyond the public insurance that we guarantee, then great. But I don’t want them to have to have that.”
“Because if you look at where we are right now, the average premium is $2,000 for a family of four. Average deductible is $4,500,” Mr. El‑Sayed said. “That’s the reason why we carry a collective $225 billion in medical debt, why a third of bankruptcies occur because of medical debt. We don’t have to live like this anymore in the United States.”
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.