Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed scrubbed defund police posts

Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, once accused state police of profiling in a campaign speech.

“We have a policing system that wants to police over people, instead of policing with people,” El-Sayed said in a 2018 speech at Harvard during a gubernatorial election.

“The odds of closing a murder in Detroit are extremely slim. But the cops will still attack you because you look a certain way.”

El-Sayed’s comments continue despite efforts clean up your social media Consisting of posts defending criticism of law enforcement, this piece offers a look at his views on Michigan police before the widespread criticism of police that would emerge in the “Defund the Police” movement.

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Although El-Sayed rejects political language that pits the “left” against the “right” and “progressives” against “conservatives,” he has raised eyebrows across the country for messages that push the boundaries of his party’s messaging on important issues.

Among other key positions, El-Sayed has made increasing the government’s role a key part of his campaign. In addition to calling for lower housing costs, he advocates for Medicare for All, opposes corporate tax cuts, and supports tuition-free access to higher education.

He also called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

But like most Democrats, El-Sayed is backing away from criticism of local police; He is backing away from his “defund the police” stance that came to the fore in 2020 following the death of George Floyd. While the movement has united Democrats around increased accountability measures for law enforcement, it has become a political liability following crime spikes in cities that have embraced the idea, such as Minneapolis, Portland and Seattle.

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Abdul El-Sayed, a U.S. Senate candidate from Michigan, has been endorsed by Bernie Sanders and has embraced comparisons between himself and Zohran Mamdani. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

El-Sayed has made efforts to clarify his ties to the movement on social media.

“Most major U.S. cities spend TOO MUCH on police departments to control poverty, and TOO LESS on public schools, health departments, recreation departments, and housing to eliminate poverty. The #Defund movement is about fixing this,” El-Sayed wrote in a post. June 2020 post In X, just a few weeks after the death of George Floyd.

He has since deleted the post and refused to explain why he removed it.

Although many of his posts about defunding the police have been removed, some of El-Sayed’s comments in his bid for governor suggest his concerns about police behavior predated the death of George Floyd.

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Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed poses for a portrait on Saturday, February 21, 2026, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Evan Cobb of The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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“We incarcerate 11% more people in the state of Michigan than the national average. We are much better at violating people’s bodies for minor crimes than at policing the violation of their bodies for serious crimes,” El-Sayed said in his speech at Harvard. he said.

El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.