Abdul El-Sayed: I don't think about Haley Stevens

The things that matter here, the Trump administration that has taken us to this war in Iran, he doesn't know how to get us out of, that's raising the price of gas and groceries. Trump administration that's making tariff war on Canada, Trump administration that passed the big ugly bill, the single biggest transfer of money from the poor in this country to the rich in this country in American history. We were all united in the responsibility, the goal to take that on. Here's the thing about it. My focus has never wavered. I have been clear about what our responsibilities are, so rather than focus on a distraction about who said what to whom, where they went, I've been consistent. I want to get money out of politics. I want to put money back in pockets. I want Medicare for all. I want to take on the heinous price of gas, the ridiculous price of groceries, the fact that people in the richest, most powerful country in the world cannot see a doctor, the notion that we should continue to breathe unclean air or unclean water. That has been the focus of this campaign since April of 2025 when we kicked it off. It's what we said in rooms across the state, 700 public events, 120 different cities now. It's what I've said in every interview with probably every single one of you, right? It's what I said on TV. It's what I said while I was trying to fall asleep at night. It is the goal of this campaign. And Michiganders understand that we don't want to keep paying too much for gas. We don't want to keep paying too much for groceries. We don't want to watch our tax dollars get spent somewhere else on a war we shouldn't be fighting. We want our tax dollars spent here on schools here. That's what Michiganders are focused on. So I have a sense that you all are here today because of the decisions of somebody who's not here right now. Am I right about that? But I'm just going to tell you, this is a state of 10 million people who deserve a lot better from their government. I'm a lot more focused on the 9,999,998 that are not the ones you guys are talking about. Okay. They pay too much in gas. They pay too much in groceries. They're worried about the quality of their kids' schools. They're worried about the quality of the air and the water that they drink. That's what we should be focused on. So I'm going to ask, when we take questions, that you keep your questions focused on the issues that Michiganders really care about. Now, that might not drive clicks for you. I get it. I understand your business, right? But they're the issues that Michiganders are paying attention to. And I'm not in the business of driving clicks for you. I'm in the business of trying to solve problems for the people in my state. So if you want to ask me questions about the issues that the people in my state are facing, I am happy to answer them. If you want to ask me questions about some intrigue and about two folks who aren't here right now, I'm going to be less interested in asking. I'm just putting it out there. Thank you. All right, we have time for a couple quick questions. We'll go right here in the front. Whatever you can hear, honestly. So I heard Don. Yeah, Don, today is the Sunday before Election Day. Historically, this is the day where we take souls to the polls. Today is the last day of early voting in Michigan. And I'm here with some of the most important faith leaders in our state to get souls out to the polls. So it's important to me because democracy is important to me, because making sure every vote is heard is important to me, because they've been attacking voting rights and voting rights are important to me, because I want folks to understand, right, that we are united in the goal of getting money out of politics, putting money in your pocket, passing Medicare for all. But the only way we do that is because people show up to be a part of. their civic process and that means showing up to vote today or on Tuesday. What do you have to say? Do you believe that Haley Stevens has betrayed the Republican Party? You didn't hear what I just said. Has she betrayed the Republican Party? Has she betrayed the Democratic Party? I don't know what that party is anymore. I don't know. Has she betrayed the Democratic Party? At the end of the day, I actually don't think about Haley Stevens. I think about the, like I said, the 9,999,998 people who are not those two. Because you know what? I'm just less interested in the politics of it all than I am in the policy of it all. And so, look, if you're somebody who believes that we ought to have more rights, not less, then I would think you would support me in this race. If you are somebody who believes that... We should stand up to hate, and you have watched this last campaign. I think we probably would not want to support Mike Rogers and Donald Trump and J.D. Vance. If you're somebody who believes that we need more health care, not less, then you probably don't want to vote for the guy who voted to raise prescription drug prices or keep them high 19 times and takes money from big pharma and big insurance. If you're somebody who believes that we need funding for infrastructure, you probably don't want to support the guy who is more interested in sending your money or passing tax cuts for billionaires than funding infrastructure. If you're somebody who believes in public education, you probably do not want to support the guy who architected the initial legislation in 1999 that ended up stripping local control from Detroit public schools and the local community. If you're somebody who believes that you should have a right to a union, you probably don't want to support the guy who busts unions. So I'm just saying that the principles that we believe in as Democrats are really quite clear. I stand for all of them. Why don't you think either one of you of her decision, none of this matters. So the question ultimately is this, none of this matters. There's a family. You can go like 15 minutes that way or 15 minutes that way or 15 minutes that way. And there are families who are preparing to send their kids to schools tomorrow that look like they did 50 years ago. They're worried about what they're going to feed their kids for lunch. They're worried that if one of their kids gets sick, they're not going to be able to pay the bills. Those are the things that matter. I would hope, I would hope, honestly, like you guys, we have a democracy, right? Democracy is founded on a couple of things. The ability to vote. Yes. And they're trying to take it away. The other one is freedom of assembly and the third is freedom of the press. But y'all please, I would hope that you all want to ask questions that are relevant to that family. They're the ones who matter. The rest of this just a distraction. Thank you so much.