An interview with Abdul El-Sayed: ‘We cannot squander this governing opportunity’

For Abdul El-Sayed, winning the Nov. 3 election was never the ultimate goal — it was a good first step toward a seat at the table and a real chance to make change. Now that he’s U.S. Sen.-elect El-Sayed, he is not slowing down on his main policy goals.

In an interview with Michigan Advance, El-Sayed said he’s urging his colleagues in the incoming Democratic majority to strike while the moment is hot to make lasting change for the American people before their window of opportunity closes.

Here’s what the senator-elect had to say about climbing “Mount Everest” to achieve his campaign promises and what’s next for the Democratic majority as it works to earn its mandate to govern.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Michigan Advance: Given the lay of the land in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate for the next session of Congress, what is your read on the potential for getting some of your chief campaign promises at least on the board next year? Does it look like Medicare for All is more possible than rolling back Citizens United?

Abdul El-Sayed: I think there’s a lot of opportunity around a lot of these goals. Let’s focus on the affordability side. Ending the war, stopping dumb tariffs is a big goal for us, and that is going to put a lot more money back in people’s pockets. That’s a huge piece. The second, thinking about union protections, thinking about standing up to big corporate monopolies  — all things I’d lived to do, that I’m looking at colleagues to be able to do.

When it comes to Citizens United, I think there’s a lot of focus, given how expensive these midterms were, on addressing these challenges. I’ve already been talking to colleagues, frankly on both sides of the aisle, about how to do that.

When it comes to expanding healthcare, the first thing we’ve got to do is make sure that they don’t cut more through these Medicaid cuts. From there, I think there’s a real opportunity to start getting expansions, if not all the way Medicare for All. Now, I’m really looking toward how we build momentum through 2028, so we elect a president who’s ready to do this and be ready on day one with the legislation.

MA: You mentioned the potential for additional healthcare expansions first. How open are you to incremental changes as opposed to all-or-nothing changes? For example, if Medicare for All for kids is possible as a first step, would you support that, even though it doesn’t get everyone across the board?

AES: I’ve been clear that I want to climb Mount Everest, and to climb Mount Everest, you’ve got to get to base camp. So, I understand that you’ve got to take multiple steps. It’s a long journey, but I’m not going to lose sight of the fact that we want to climb Mount Everest. It’s that kind of commitment that I think is critical.

So yes, I’m going to take as much as I can get done within the space of where folks are willing to work, and then keep coming until we’ve gotten all the way there.

MA: Looking to 2028, there’s going to be a big push for many, and I mean many, Democrats to seek the office of president. We’ve already seen signs that people are energetic, it seems, for someone like your colleague, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to run. Which among the potential candidates that may be out there do you see as being in line with what you want to achieve in the U.S. Senate? Who would be best suited for this moment?

AES: I’ve yet to see who’s actually running, so it’s a bit premature. I want somebody who’s ready to get money out of politics, put money in our pockets, and pass Medicare for All. 

I’m looking for somebody who understands Michigan and wants to serve our state and wants to be a governing partner to try and address the role that Citizen United has had in corrupting our politics; who wants to stand with unions, wants to take on corporate monopolies and oligopolies, and wants to guarantee everybody healthcare through Medicare for All.

MA: As this new Democratic majority gears up to take over Congress next year, I think back to the early legislative trifecta of the Obama years. Looking back, Democrats wielded their power enough to get the Affordable Care Act, the American Recovery and Investment Act and Dodd-Frank signed into law, but then they lost the House in 2010. How important is it for you all to be as efficient, surgical and swift with your policy goals in this majority so you don’t lose the moment?

AES: That’s exactly what we need to do. We cannot squander this governing opportunity that the public has given us, and we have to understand that it wasn’t as much a vote for us as it was a vote against them. 

So we have to earn our mandate by actually demonstrating action, and every single one of those actions has to be about addressing the affordability crisis in people’s lives.

MA: I know your primary opponent had framed her campaign as a “love letter to Michigan,” but on the campaign trail, you also showed Michigan a lot of love. An example: You had name-dropped a local shawarma shop that has seen a bunch of business since then. What does it mean to you, to know that there is a kind of excitement buzzing at a Michigan business simply because it was a place that you loved?

AES: We have so many amazing small businesses in Michigan, and they deserve a spotlight. I hope that I can continue to shine spotlights on so many of them, because small business is the heart and soul of our economy. Folks have an idea and they turn that idea — through blood, sweat and tears — into a business and into a commitment to their local community. 

I hope that our fellow Michiganders will go and engage in the incredible work that they do every single day. There’s nothing better than folks coming together around a meal they love, or a design that they’re excited about, some flowers to bring to mom. It’s one of the best parts of the job.

MA: Throughout the campaign, Republicans and others opposed to your candidacy made a lot of noise about your culture, your religion and your name. But your full real name — Abdulrahman — means “servant of the most Merciful” or “most Gracious” in Arabic. “The servant of God.” What does it mean for you, now as a member of Congress, to be in a position to serve a great many people, not just Michiganders, in the U.S. Senate?

AES: I’m deeply grateful, and it’s such an honor to earn the trust of nearly 3 million of my fellow Michiganders. My job is to go and earn that, every single day, in the work that I pursue here in the nation’s capital on behalf of our state. 

I keep saying, “we haven’t earned our mandate yet.” So let’s go earn it.