FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 05, 2026
August 05, 2026
Contact:
Tim Kauffman
202-374-6491
[email protected]
Largest Federal Employee Union Endorses Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed for Election to U.S. Senate
Categories:
Senate, Congress, Election 2026
AFGE says El-Sayed will fight for working people in Congress
WASHINGTON –– The American Federation of Government Employees today announced its endorsement of Abdul El-Sayed for election to the U.S. Senate representing Michigan in the 2026 elections. The general election is Nov. 3.
A native of Michigan, El-Sayed graduated from the University of Michigan in 2007 and earned doctorate degrees from Oxford, England, and Columbia University in New York City before joining Columbia’s School of Public Health as an assistant professor in the epidemiology department in 2014.
He was appointed health officer and executive director of the Detroit Health Department in August 2015 at age 30, making him the youngest health officer in a major U.S. city. He most recently served for two years as director of Wayne County’s Department of Health, Human, and Veterans Service before announcing his bid for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.).
“The current administration has done everything it can to strip federal workers of their jobs and union rights while decimating federal programs and services that ensure the safety of our food and air, protect our health and natural resources, and safeguard Americans at home and abroad,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said. “We need leaders like Abdul El-Sayed in Congress fighting for the working people who for too long have been overlooked, unappreciated, and undervalued.”
A progressive Democrat, El-Sayed is running on a platform that supports Medicare expansion, tougher enforcement of environmental laws, and expanding the right of U.S. workers to form unions and collectively bargain. He has pledged to fight the administration’s undemocratic and unconstitutional attacks on workers’ wages, their labor rights, and their safety in the workplace. He won the Democratic primary on Tuesday.
“AFGE is proud to endorse Abdul El-Sayed because we believe leadership is about inspiring people to participate, organize, and demand better, not settling for the status quo,” AFGE District 7 National Vice President Jason Anderson said. “At a time when federal workers and our unions have been under relentless attack, Abdul has called for strengthening workers’ rights, protecting the freedom to organize, and restoring the voice of working families in our democracy. His commitment to getting money out of politics, expanding healthcare through Medicare for All, and putting people ahead of powerful interests reflects the values our members fight for every day.”
More than 54,300 federal employees live in Michigan – caring for veterans, supporting the military, and getting Social Security recipients their benefits accurately and on time.
AFGE is the largest federal employee union in the country, representing more than 820,000 federal and D.C. government workers in all functions of government. AFGE represents nearly 43,000 federal employees in District 7, which includes Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
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