Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed told a gathering of women faith leaders in Detroit on Saturday that the country has left “unpaid debts” to Black communities unaddressed, and said future leaders must take responsibility for confronting them.
“When it comes to black communities in Michigan — when it comes to black communities in America — there are unpaid debts that have long since come due that we are unwilling to acknowledge, let alone pay down,” El-Sayed said, according to video of the event shared by C-SPAN. “And I understand that we need leaders who are going to understand those debts and address them.”
El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director who unsuccessfully ran for Michigan governor in 2018, made the comments at an event hosted by the Woman Difference Collaborative. He is running against Republican nominee and former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers in a Senate race that is drawing national attention.
The remarks came as El-Sayed answered a question about how he intends to win over Democratic voters who backed other candidates in the primary. He said his strategy centers on continuing to show up, engage directly with voters and point to his record in office.
“But the question for me is, within my power have I done my best?” El-Sayed said. “And I will challenge people to look at my history and say, ‘Yeah, that man hasn’t done everything he could around the problems he says he cares about.'”
In laying out that record, El-Sayed pointed to his work addressing infant and maternal mortality, asthma and lead exposure. He also called for expanding small businesses’ access to capital and increasing investment in housing and schools.
According to C-SPAN, the Detroit event also touched on El-Sayed’s public health background, U.S. aid to Israel, his 2024 presidential endorsement of former Vice President Kamala Harris, campaign attack ads from Rogers, and criminal justice policy.
El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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