Not every Michigan newspaper or media outlet frames this election cycle around "Islamophobia." Not every story in Detroit about the Senate race starts with instructions on how to sound Arabic when saying "Abdulrahman." At least one newspaper in Detroit has focused on the actual stakes involved in this Senate race, and that newspaper is not the Detroit Free Press.
So, credit where credit is due, and today credit goes to the editorial board of the Detroit News for taking this election seriously. Today, the board issued an endorsement for Republican nominee Mike Rogers as "the prototype of a United States Senator. They extolled his military and public service, Rogers' depth in national security issues, his private-sector success, and his "experience, clear thinking, and temperament." The endorsement's first four paragraphs focus entirely on Rogers' positive contributions and qualities, in fact, making clear that the former House Republican is a solid choice for the Senate even apart from the considerations of his opponent.
It then spends nearly twice as long explaining why voters should reject Abdul El-Sayed. First, the editors note, El-Sayed has no experience at all in electoral office or policymaking. They note that he has a medical degree but has never practiced medicine; he's been mainly an academic, with the exception of four years in public-health roles in Detroit and Wayne County. He has never even held a legislative seat at any level, hardly a resumé for aspirations to the U.S. Senate.
The meat of their opposition to El-Sayed, however, has to do with the company he keeps, as well as how much effort El-Sayed has put into feeding the memory hole on who he truly is:
He has deleted social media posts that reportedly called into question his attitude about America in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He's taken down roughly 100 YouTube videos that paint an unflattering picture of him and his cultural views. A candidate who feels the need to hide his past from voters is not someone who can be trusted to be the same person after Election Day as he was on the campaign trail.
El-Sayed claims to be a capitalist, though he has embraced many of the priorities of the Democratic Socialists of America, is endorsed by its spiritual leader, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and has some of its more outrageous members in his orbit.
He also says he has no animosity toward Jews but has demurred on support for Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. Again, on this issue, his associations are telling. El-Sayed brought in Hasan Piker as a closer for his primary election campaign. Piker is a Twitch personality and a notorious antisemite. The Democratic congressional caucus is already awash in anti-Israel members; it doesn't need one more from Michigan.
Oh ... you mean this guy?
"The absolute worst country on the face of the planet, straight up, bar none. A capitalist shithole. Kaya, now is not the opportunity. Down... I despise this nation. I despise this country with my entire fucking heart"
— fauxstonox (@fauxstonox) September 15, 2026
-- Hasan Piker on the United States of America pic.twitter.com/OqKMffA1Oh
This is the man that El-Sayed literally platformed in his campaign. Why would we conclude that El-Sayed feels any differently? We already know how El-Sayed feels about Mackinac Island, after all. And we also know how Hasan Piker feels about 9/11 and the terrorists who murdered thousands of Americans, too.
So yes, associations matter. However, the point made by the Detroit News editorial board on transparency matters even more. El-Sayed is someone who came out of obscurity to contend in his very first election. Rather than open up about his life and his viewpoints, El-Sayed and his allies made the deliberate choice to obfuscate all of it. Why? What did they need to cover up?
El-Sayed's associations may be a big part of the answer to that question, but the impulse to cover up is an issue all on its own. If El-Sayed needs to hide his track record to get elected, what will he do once in office? El-Sayed's attempt to memory-hole his past speaks to his character as much, if not more, than whatever material he and his allies are trying to delete.
That should just be common sense. It's not common at all in the Protection Racket Media, but at least the Detroit News editorial board has taken a stand for common sense and American security. Let's hope Michigan voters make the same choice.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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