With the race for Michigan’s next senator razor thin, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is making a pitch to people of faith, including Christians, some of whom form a key constituency for Republican Mike Rogers.
In a new video, El-Sayed describes himself as a man of faith who prays every day, but never names the religion he practices. The ad comes as President Donald Trump has attacked El-Sayed’s faith, saying the Democrat is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
“My name is Abdul. It means servant,” he says. “I pray every day. I reflect on that role, on this life, on this earth, how we leave it better than we found it. To serve God, to serve our neighbors. All across Michigan, families pray. They feel hopeless. Faith is a thing there is just too little of in Washington.”
As a man of faith, I pray every day.
Faith is a thing there’s just too little of in Washington. https://t.co/1OUOb51AC8
— Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) October 19, 2026
Before the video ends, he adds, “We need a few more people of faith in Washington. I’m Abdul El-Sayed, man of faith. That’s a good thing.”
The video was co-posted with an Instagram account called “Clergy For Abdul.” The account features clergy from several religious traditions endorsing El-Sayed.
In one video, Rev. Shannon Jammal-Hollemans says health care is weighing heavily on her congregation. She said her church food pantry was easier to keep full a year and a half ago because of lower costs.
“We need leaders we can trust to represent our values. Abdul El-Sayed is one of those leaders,” she said.
Not everyone is convinced. Pastor Lorenzo Sewell of 180 Church in Detroit asked Fox News Digital, “Can you imagine him being in the Senate, being able to recommend federal judges to presidents?”
“That’s his goal. His goal is to be able to recommend federal judges to presidents for appointments, and then we’re going to find ourselves in Sharia law all over this land,” he said.
El-Sayed’s campaign has said he opposes incorporating any religion’s rules into U.S. law. He has also argued that his Muslim faith should not define his candidacy.
“I’m not running to be a Muslim senator, I’m running for the US Senate and happen to be Muslim,” he said at a town hall over the weekend.
He compared his position to that of John F. Kennedy, who faced scrutiny for being Catholic.
“His answer, famously, was that he was not running to be a Catholic president, he was running to be president and happened to be Catholic,” El-Sayed told the crowd.
His attention to how his religion appears on camera dates back to his unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign.
In resurfaced video from that campaign documentary, El-Sayed told the film crew to keep a bookshelf holding a Quran and other religious items out of the shot while filming at his home.
“You’re going to want to not get these things in the shot … we’re trying to keep the shot secular,” he said.
A recent Fox News poll identified white evangelical Christians as one of the groups giving Rogers his strongest support.
