Michigan Democrat Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is facing growing scrutiny after records showed he repeatedly described himself as a “physician” despite never holding a medical license in either Michigan or New York — a revelation now threatening to undercut one of the central pillars of his campaign.
The controversy erupted after public records reviewed by Politico revealed El-Sayed, who holds a medical degree but never completed the traditional pathway to medical practice, has never been licensed to practice medicine in either state.
That detail matters because El-Sayed has consistently leaned on his medical background while pitching himself to voters, frequently referring to himself on the campaign trail as “a physician and epidemiologist” and even appearing in fundraising materials wearing a doctor’s coat.
The disconnect is now fueling accusations that voters were intentionally led to believe he once practiced medicine.
“The perception in Michigan is that he is, at least at one point in his life, a licensed physician,” Michigan Democratic strategist Chris Dewitt told Politico. “That apparently is not the case, and it blows up a big part of his campaign.”
The issue cuts especially deep because El-Sayed’s campaign has heavily centered on healthcare and his medical credentials as proof of expertise.
But according to the report, El-Sayed’s hands-on medical experience amounted to a four-week clinical rotation completed after medical school. In a 2022 podcast appearance, he reportedly described the experience as “cosplaying [as] a doctor.”
Under New York law, individuals who are not licensed are prohibited from identifying themselves as physicians. Michigan law similarly bars people from acting in a way that could “induce the belief” they are licensed to practice medicine.
Despite that, El-Sayed continued publicly using the title.
During an April debate hosted by the Council of Baptist Pastors, El-Sayed introduced himself as “a physician and epidemiologist.” When Sen. Bernie Sanders referred to him as a “physician” earlier this year, El-Sayed did not correct him.
As recently as Thursday, El-Sayed’s LinkedIn biography still described him as a “physician and epidemiologist.”
His campaign has rejected the criticism and framed the attacks as politically motivated.
“Rather than this being a gotcha attack, this is Dr. El-Sayed’s origin story — one that Michiganders are familiar with,” campaign spokesperson Roxie Richner told Fox News Digital.
“Dr. El-Sayed has spoken extensively about his experiences in medical school that led him first to public health and then to public service,” Richner added.
The spokesperson also pointed to El-Sayed’s public health record, including efforts to eliminate medical debt, expand Narcan access, and improve air-quality monitoring in Michigan communities.
Still, even some Democrats appear uneasy with how El-Sayed has marketed himself.
“It’s a weird thing to hang your hat on in terms of a biographical detail if you never actually practiced medicine,” Democratic consultant Adrian Hemond told Politico.
“It’s not as though he hasn’t done anything with all of the fancy education that he got,” Hemond added, pointing to El-Sayed’s work in Detroit and Wayne County public health programs. “Maybe you would lean into that, as opposed to giving people the impression that you may have practiced medicine before.”
The controversy is also quickly becoming political ammunition in Michigan’s increasingly heated Democrat Senate primary.
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, one of El-Sayed’s primary rivals, accused him of building his campaign around credentials that don’t match reality.
“Abdul El-Sayed has made his supposed medical credentials a centerpiece of his campaign, but the truth is he never held a medical license, never did his residency, never passed his boards, and never practiced medicine independently,” McMorrow campaign spokesman Jackson Boaz told Fox News Digital.
“If Michigan voters can’t trust El-Sayed to be honest about something that is so central to his entire rationale for running, how can they trust him to be honest about what he’d do as a United States Senator?” Boaz added.
This isn’t the first time questions about El-Sayed’s medical claims have surfaced.
Back in 2018, Crain’s Detroit Business pressed him over his repeated use of the title despite lacking a medical license.
“I think there’s a lot of ways that one serves as a physician,” El-Sayed responded at the time. “I’m a physician because I have an MD, but I’m also a physician because of the work that I’ve dedicated my career to.”
El-Sayed has long argued he turned away from medicine because he believed politics and public policy were more effective tools for addressing poverty and chronic health problems.
But critics say the latest revelations expose something larger than semantics — a candidate accused of carefully cultivating an image that voters may have misunderstood from the start.
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“Under New York law, individuals who are not licensed are prohibited from identifying themselves as physicians. Michigan law similarly bars people from acting in a way that could “induce the belief” they are licensed to practice medicine.” He is doing the “democrat” … It matters not that he obtained “medical training”. He did not complete all the required steps and actions.
It appears quite likely that he has knowingly (in his own words) misrepresented himself as a physician. That requires formal investigation and the likely bringing of formal charges.
If he lies about being a doctor, what else do you thing he will lie about…… duh! Everything!