Abdul El-Sayed on Michigan, Medicare for All, AIPAC & Beating Corporate Democrats [5uWKiPhOcvS]
Last week, The Lever’s David Sirota traveled to Michigan to meet with Democratic Senate candidate and former public health official Abdul El-Sayed, who has become a political lightning rod as he campaigns in one of the country’s most consequential primaries. Today on Lever Time, we’re airing Sirota’s exclusive interview with El-Sayed. Speaking at a coffee shop in Macomb County — the Michigan county that birthed the term “Reagan Democrats” and where Trump won twice — they discuss how El-Sayed plans to pass Medicare For All, why AIPAC is spending millions to defeat him, and why he doesn’t want corporate Democrats’ invitations to cocktail parties. 0:00 — Why Michigan is the swing state that decides the Senate 1:45 — Reagan Democrats in Macomb County: why Trump won here (twice) 4:26 — His campaign vs. Elissa Slotkin: playing to win, not "not to lose" 7:26 — Taking down Mike Rogers — "I'm going to eat his lunch" 9:24 — How he surged from third place to a double-digit lead 11:42 — Medicare for All: what Obama got wrong in 2008 — and what's different now 15:20 — Debunking Hillary Clinton's argument against Medicare for All 17:13 — "Everyone sided with the murderer" — what the UnitedHealthcare CEO killing reveals 21:55 — How to actually fund Medicare for All (after Slotkin said it couldn't be done) 23:30 — AIPAC, Israel, and why this is an affordability issue — not just a foreign policy one 27:05 — Anti-Zionism vs. antisemitism: where is the line? 29:49 — Getting big money out of politics — what he'd actually pass 32:18 — His unpopular position: targeted tariffs (and why they're nothing like Trump's) 35:52 — Democrats and climate change: why the messaging is "stupid" and how to fix it 38:51 — On Carville and Harrison attacking insurgent candidates 41:40 — Why the Democratic establishment fears him winning more than losing 🔔 Subscribe to The Lever for more independent investigative journalism #abdulelsayed #MedicareForAll #Michigan #AIPAC #MichiganSenate #DemocraticPrimary #MichiganSenateRace #HealthCare Want more essential midterm coverage? Check out The Lever’s new weekly newsletter, Midterm Madness, for election updates: