Far-Left Michigan Senate Candidate Faces Scrutiny Over Income and Associations
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is facing criticism over his reported household income and associations. His 2025 household income of $686,069 stands out against the state’s median income. This has led to accusations of ‘champagne socialism’.
El-Sayed’s ties with streamer Hasan Piker, who made controversial remarks about 9/11, have also been highlighted.
A Media Research Center (MRC) study examined how major platforms covered El-Sayed. It looked at top news headlines from Apple News and Google News after February 10, revealing no negative headlines about him in the top 20 stories. MRC President David Bozell expressed concerns that such coverage can mislead voters. Most Americans rely on these platforms to get their news, reading what appears in curated feeds.
The conservative watchdog identified at least 104 stories from right-leaning outlets about El-Sayed that were missing from these feeds. MRC’s research involved tracking stories from November 1 to July 21 on Google News and from November 3 to July 21 on Apple News, assessing their sentiment.
The analysis didn’t specify the time or location of the reviews or how personalization was managed. Discrepancies were noted in citation numbers, citing 13 stories from various outlets yet listing 16 later.
Bozell linked current findings to previous research on former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, noting a lack of coverage on this platform for both candidates.
El-Sayed was questioned by CNN’s Manu Raju about the Israeli government, to which he responded both Hamas and the Israeli government were ‘evil’ for causing deaths.
The August 4 primary has been narrowed down to El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens, with endorsements such as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s going to Stevens. This coincides with an MRC study stating that news outlets didn’t promote negative stories about another candidate, Platner.
Google disputed the analysis, citing flawed methodology, while Apple explained that its Top Stories are editor-selected and consistent for all users.
CJ Womack, an associate editor at Fox News, contributed to this report. CJ Womack holds a degree in Political Science with a Journalism minor from Long Beach State University (2025). He joined Fox News Digital in 2026.