LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A progressive former public health official is running for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat.

 

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Dr. Abdul El-Sayed isn’t a stranger to running for a high-stakes office. The former director of Wayne County’s Department of Health, Human, and Veterans Services ran unsuccessfully for Michigan governor in 2018. During that bid, fellow progressives Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed El-Sayed.

In addition, El-Sayed founded Southpaw Michigan. The website describes it as a “progressive advocacy group” which supports “progressive candidates and proposals up and down the ballot through organizing and empowering grassroots activism in support of their campaign.”

Currently, U.S. Senator Gary Peters is occupying the seat, but he is retiring in November 2026. The list of potential candidates include State Senator Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) and former GOP Congressman Mike Rogers.