Democratic Michigan Senate candidate and former Detroit health official Abdul El-Sayed is tying himself to socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, according to a Facebook ad shared with the Washington Examiner.
Abdul El-Sayed is running in a competitive field of Democrats looking to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) in 2026. With the ad, he’s signaling that he wants the progressive triumph that Mamdani pulled off in NYC.
“Zohran Mamdani just won the Democratic nomination for NYC mayor! His win is proof that bold, progressive politics are what Americans want,” the ad says. “Like Zohran, I’m running a people-powered campaign because I know we deserve better. Working-class Americans are being crushed by the cost of living while billionaires get tax breaks.”
“Zohran won. Abdul is next,” the ad concludes over a call to donate to El-Sayed‘s campaign.
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is running Facebook ads tying himself to NYC’s Zohran Mamdani.
“Zohran won. Abdul is next,” the ad reads. pic.twitter.com/oBB7AqrHyV
— Ross O’Keefe (@RossOKeefe2) July 10, 2025
Mamdani famously won the New York City Democratic nomination for mayor behind his call for free buses, childcare, and government-run grocery stores. He defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was widely expected to win, behind a ground movement that was larger than Cuomo’s.
“Mamdani represents the future of Democrat platform, it should surprise no one that El-Sayed’s embrace of Mamdani has put him within striking distance of winning the Democrat nomination,” Senate Leadership Fund Communications Director Chris Gustafson told the Washington Examiner.
El-Sayed has several notable similarities with Mamdani, including that both are Muslim and hold anti-Israel views. He entered the Michigan Senate race in April.
El-Sayed likely has a battle in front of him with three other declared candidates for the Democratic primary: Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, and former Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate.
Whoever wins out of the bunch will likely face Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers, who narrowly lost to Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) in the 2024 elections.
Recent polling indicates Stevens is the frontrunner. A NRSC-sponsored July poll showed Stevens with 24% support, El-Sayed with 22%, McMorrow with 11% and Tate with 1%. A different poll, sponsored by the McMorrow campaign, showed Stevens with 24% support, McMorrow with 20%, El-Sayed with 15%, and Tate with 4%.
WHO IS ZOHRAN MAMDANI, THE SOCIALIST CANDIDATE CHALLENGING ERIC ADAMS TO BE NYC MAYOR?
El-Sayed is backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-MI), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. He previously ran for Michigan governor in 2018, losing to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) by about 20 points in the primary.
El-Sayed suggested he will beat Trump by doing the opposite of him. “Democrats think that the best way to win is to try and beat him at his own game,” he told Newsweek. “You just won’t do that. Our job is to be able to capture the kind of attention because we’re providing an antidote to what he does. If [President Donald Trump is] bringing hate, we bring love. If he’s bringing more pain, we’re bringing healing. If he’s bringing that danger and insecurity, we’re bringing a kind of empathy and a kind of understanding.”
