Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed expressed support for a “conversation” about reparations, alleging historical injustices and systemic inequities.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Far-left Michigan Democrat Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed voiced support for a “conversation” about paying reparations to African Americans. 📺 DETAIL: In a Monday interview, El-Sayed said an “honest conversation” about reparations “shouldn’t be a crazy thing.” This follows reports from earlier this month that El-Sayed had called for reparations in the past. “We owe so much more than ‘thanks.’ Time for Reparations,” posted Abdul El-Sayed in a 2019 Thanksgiving post on X (formerly Twitter). This was among several other unearthed remarks by El-Sayed, including attacks on Thanksgiving, July 4 celebrations, and Michigan’s Mackinac Island. The unearthed posts were deleted following backlash. El-Sayed also suggested that reparations could resolve school funding in the state. “In the city of Detroit right now, they just had $700 million invested in their schools… They’re still $1.7 billion behind… a lot of that has to do with public policy… if public policy created a level in which black folks disproportionately suffer everything from maternal mortality and infant mortality to lack of access to jobs, I think it’s important for our country to have a conversation about how to make people whole,” said El-Sayed. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “I think we need to have an honest conversation about the incredible debt that was put upon black folks as a function of slavery that we have yet to pay, and I just think that’s fair. Like if people are enslaved and forced into servitude, and then we don’t actually have a conversation about all that was owed that our own country agreed was owed. I just think that it’s past time to have that conversation.” – Abdul El-Sayed 🎯 IMPACT: This may add to the mounting pressure on El-Sayed, a far-left Democrat running in Michigan, a swing state with a large number of moderate and Independent voters. El-Sayed’s radical position is likely to alienate the voters whom he needs to win over come the midterm elections in November. El-Sayed framing his position in terms of having a “conversation” represents a superficial moderation of his past remarks explicitly calling for reparations, suggesting that El-Sayed is aware of how alienating the true position will be to many Michiganders. El-Sayed’s rise underscores the ongoing far-left capture of the Democrats during the 2026 election cycle. |
WATTERS: “Reparations. You support that?”
EL-SAYED: “I think we need to have an honest conversation about the incredible debt that was put upon black folks…I just think that's fair.”
WATTERS: "We have you on the record as backing it." pic.twitter.com/e5YeXx1QBS
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 25, 2026
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