Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed said he has no plans to run for president during a Sunday interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, while emphasizing that he wants to represent Michigan in the Senate.
Host Kristen Welker asked whether El-Sayed believed the country was ready to elect a Muslim president. He called the question irrelevant to his campaign and said he believed Michigan was ready for a Muslim senator. El-Sayed later stated that he had never wanted to run for president and wanted to be a strong senator for his state.
Welker also asked whether a loss in Michigan would suggest that progressive candidates, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, could not win the presidency in 2028. El-Sayed replied that the Senate contest was primarily about Michigan’s local issues, rather than a national referendum.
The interview followed a debate with Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers. According to the source report, Rogers raised allegations of ties between El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed has denied the allegations; during the NBC interview, he rejected the premise and described it as Islamophobia. The claims are disputed and are not established by the supplied material.
Fox News Digital reported that it sought comment from NBC and El-Sayed’s campaign. It also quoted Media Research Center President David Bozell criticizing NBC’s discussion of a possible presidential run. The source material does not include responses from NBC or the campaign.
The report is dated October 11, 2026, and concerns remarks made in the context of El-Sayed’s Michigan Senate campaign.
