The Michigan Democrat Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed seems to have a predilection for saying things that keep showing how wrong he is for the job.
Now, there's another example.
El-Sayed did a podcast in October 2025 that is now getting attention because of the comparison he made between Egypt and America. He said America had been "deeply atomized," and painted Americans as "desperate to feel something."
🚨 NEW
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 27, 2026
Abdul El-Sayed says America lacks "community" and "humanity" while comparing it to Egypt his "home." pic.twitter.com/tZ4EBKOBsf
He observed that despite the "challenges" in Egypt, you were "constantly enveloped in humanity" there, which was a "beautiful thing." If you go to any wedding "back home," he said, there's a "celebration of humanity." What America could gain from "back home" was "community," he answered.
I think if he's trying to compare America to Egypt, we beat them hands down. If you're running for office here, and you don't believe that, why are you running?
El-Sayed was born in Michigan. He grew up in the U.S. So why is he calling Egypt "back home"?
Many took issue with his take.
The only “home” candidates running for office in the United States should have is America. https://t.co/CqCGcaINZp
— America (@america) August 27, 2026
Mike Rogers campaign needs to run this a billon times in MI https://t.co/pTg3KHz1dP
— Mike 🇻🇦 (@mfettie93) August 27, 2026
El-Sayed has already gotten backlash for a lot of his prior comments, including saying he "hated" Mackinac Island (a beautiful tourist area in Michigan), to which many Michiganders took offense. Then there were his attacks on football, linking it to toxic masculinity, and even talking about why we shouldn't have fireworks on the Fourth of July.
But perhaps his biggest blunder to date has been his Fox interview with Jesse Watters. He had bad takes on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Second Amendment, and taxes. But perhaps his worst moment was when he compared sex change surgery to circumcision, which people, including Watters, found downright unhinged.
🚨 WTF?! Abdul El- Sayed says CIRCUMCISION is the same thing as SEX CHANGES FOR MINORS
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 25, 2026
JESSE: "So you think it's okay for a parent to SLASH his kids dingaling off?! You think that's okay?!"
ABDUL: "Are you circumcised, Jesse?"
JESSE: "Uhh yeah, that's a PERSONAL QUESTION,… pic.twitter.com/Znb3ix0ToD
The Real Clear polling average basically has him in a tie before the Fox interview, with him up by 0.7.
But CNN data analyst Harry Enten warned what a weak candidate El-Sayed he was "in the minds of the voters," and explained that this was the first time a Democrat candidate for Senate had been down by four points in a poll in Michigan.
Harry Enten on
— Jim DaBink (@JimDaBink) August 14, 2026
Abdul El Sayed.
"He is a weak candidate...look how far underwater he is!
-13 points!"
Mike Rogers is LEADING! pic.twitter.com/XJdCO1H5b1
That RCP polling is almost two weeks old, so I think we'll find a lot of movement that isn't good for El-Sayed when new polling comes in.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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