US midterms: Michigan Senate candidate El-Sayed becomes Democrats' rising star

He's one of the Democrats' progressive rising stars. Abdul El-Sayed is the doctor and former public health official hoping to win a Senate seat in the U.S. state of Michigan. He ran unsuccessfully to become the Democrats' candidate for governor in 2018, but remained active in politics. This year, El-Sayed had a close but acrimonious race against fellow Democrat Haley Stevens, beating her to become their party's official nominee for Senate. He's up against Republican Mike Rogers, who's been endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump. El-Sayed's platform has been vocal about taking money out of politics, and his campaign has focused on the problems plaguing America's health care system and promising to improve it. It shouldn't be this hard to afford a second bag of groceries. It shouldn't be this hard to pay your rent. It shouldn't be this hard to fill up your tank. And it shouldn't be this hard to see a doctor in the richest, most powerful country in the world. It shouldn't be this hard. So pay your taxes and know that that money is going to be spent on you and your kids instead of dropping bombs on somebody else and their kids. It shouldn't be this hard. He's been a very vocal critic of Israel, especially when it comes to U.S. funding and military aid, calling for an immediate arms embargo in Israel. This has led to criticisms of anti-Semitism, which El-Sayed has denied, saying Jewish safety is a priority for him. And there have also been numerous unfounded allegations that he's a member of a terrorist group. I'm here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator. In a huge upset, his former Democratic opponent Haley Stevens suddenly switched her endorsement to Republican rival Mike Rogers. Michigan has been a swing state in the last few elections and is a key battleground in these closely watched midterms.