Former Michigan health officer Abdul El-Sayed enters Democratic US Senate race

El-Sayed enters senate race

Photo: Clarence Tabb Jr./Detroit News via AP, File

FILE - Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic candidate for Michigan governor, visits his Detroit field office to thank all of the volunteers for their hard work on the campaign, Aug.7, 2018, in Detroit. 

A former Michigan public health official and Democratic candidate for governor entered the race for the state's open U.S. Senate seat on Thursday.

Abdul El-Sayed, 40, is the second Democrat to put his name in the running in what could be one of the most watched races in the 2026 midterm elections. He's also the second candidate this week to launch a campaign to replace Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who is not seeking reelection.

“It’s way too hard to survive here in the richest, most powerful country in the world and it should not be this hard to get by,” he told The Associated Press.

El-Sayed ran for governor in 2018 as a progressive Democrat and was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders. He came in second in the Democratic primary, losing to Gretchen Whitmer by more than 20 points and beating now U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar by more than 12 points. Whitmer went on to win the general election and is in the midst of a second term. She can't run again because of term limits.

Sanders on Thursday endorsed El-Sayed in the Senate race.

“Abdul is a physician who understands that our current health care system is broken and wildly expensive. He understands that health care is a human right, which is why he supports Medicare for All,” Sanders said in a statement.

A resident of Ann Arbor, El-Sayed recently served as director of the Department of Health, Human & Veterans Services in Wayne County, home to Detroit. Before that, he was the public health director of the city after it declared bankruptc y in 2013.

El-Sayed said he's inspired to run for Senate after the overhaul of the federal government brought on by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, including changes and cuts made at the nation's top health agencies. But he said Democrats must do more than just run on the opposite of Republican policies.

“You have to come with your own independent analysis of what you think the problem is and how you want to solve it, if you want to earn the trust of the public,” he said.

El-Sayed joins state Sen. Mallory McMorrow in the Democratic field of candidates looking to replace Peters. Others considering a run include U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

On the Republican side, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers launched his bid on Monday after losing a Senate race last year by 19,000 votes to Democrat Elissa Slotkin.