Abdul
El-Sayed

Abdul El-Sayed is a public health expert who has dedicated his career to advocating for environmental justice and healthy communities in Michigan.

Born and raised in Michigan, El-Sayed earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan before pursuing his medical degree from Columbia University and his doctorate in public health from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. Pursuing his lifelong passion for helping people, El-Sayed decided to concentrate in public health, and led the rebuilding of Detroit’s bankrupt Health Department. He went on to restructure the Wayne County Department of Health, Human, and Veterans Services, where he prioritized clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. El-Sayed went after corporate polluters, removed lead drinking water pipes, instituted air quality monitoring programs, and prevented imports of radioactive waste. He later served on President Biden’s Unity Task Force for Healthcare to help increase access and affordability.

As a senator, El-Sayed will continue to champion public health and climate policies that serve working people, not billionaires or corporate interests. In 2016, Michigan League of Conservation Voters awarded him “Public Official of the Year.” El-Sayed is the first Muslim person and the first Egyptian-American to serve in the U.S. Senate.

El-Sayed joins the U.S. Senate after defeating former Representative Mike Rogers, who earned a spot on LCV Victory Fund’s 2026 Dirty Dozen with an 8% lifetime score on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard, to fill the seat of retiring Senator Gary Peters, who earned a 95% lifetime score.

“I will fight to build resilient infrastructure, strengthen our energy and water systems, and ensure that every community—especially those hit first and hardest—benefits from a just and sustainable transition.” – LCV Questionnaire