Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan’s Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, recently defended his capitalist beliefs. He has refuted claims of being a socialist, but past social media posts tell a different story. The Detroit chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) praised El-Sayed’s climate policies, referring to him as a ‘comrade.’
In 2019, the Detroit DSA chapter posted a photograph of El-Sayed, a former Michigan gubernatorial candidate, with approval. This came shortly after El-Sayed supported Sen. Bernie Sanders in his presidential campaign.
An image of El-Sayed at the Labor Day parade in Detroit, dated September 7, 2026, with remarks thanking El-Sayed’s endorsement of Sanders, circulated online. The DSA stated, ‘Thank you to our friend and ally Abdul El-Sayed for endorsing Bernie Sanders. Our movement is unstoppable.’
While the DSA hasn’t officially backed El-Sayed’s Senate run, the Detroit chapter’s approval could suggest parallels between El-Sayed’s agenda and DSA policies. In a New York Times interview, El-Sayed articulated his capitalist ideology, focusing on regulation and taxation.
Capitalism is about leveraging the laws of supply and demand to efficiently allocate capital expenditure to maximize value. When capitalism works, it’s because you have free entry and exit into markets,El-Sayed explained. He added,If you believe in capitalism, you have to believe in government regulation to protect markets.
El-Sayed’s policy support includes Medicare for All and increased taxes on the nation’s highest earners. His environmental policies focus on penalizing businesses that exploit natural resources.
His 2018 gubernatorial campaign echoed these themes, attracting DSA support. El-Sayed advocated for repurposing General Motors plants for public use when the company planned massive job cuts.
El-Sayed signed a proposal alongside others like Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Natasha Fernández-Silber. The resolution argued these facilities belong to workers who contributed labor and taxpayers who funded subsidies.
From 2017 to 2020, El-Sayed attended six DSA events as a speaker. The 2019 fundraiser had his involvement as a keynote. DSA officials announced support for his primary election bid, as reported by Politico.
Despite his frequent engagement with the DSA, he stated to the Wall Street Journal, ‘I’m not technically or practically DSA.’ Yet, socialist organizers view him as a ‘longtime friend of Detroit DSA.’
The national DSA platform includes more radical proposals, such as abolishing the U.S. Senate, that El-Sayed hasn’t endorsed.
El-Sayed’s campaign hasn’t addressed his links to the Detroit DSA in light of his current capitalist advocacy. Having secured the Democratic primary, El-Sayed is set to compete with Republican contender Mike Rogers on November 3.
Fox News reporter Leo Briceno, part of the congressional team, provided these insights.