Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Avoids Direct Answer on Past 'Defund Police' Posts
Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed declined to directly answer whether he still supports defunding police when questioned on CNN about deleted social media posts from 2020-2021 that called for reducing police budgets. El-Sayed previously wrote that major U.S. cities spend too much on police and too little on schools, health, and housing, but has since deleted those posts without explanation. The exchange highlights tensions between his past activist positions and his current campaign messaging as he seeks statewide office.
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for Michigan's U.S. Senate seat, avoided directly answering whether his views on police funding have changed when pressed by CNN about deleted social media posts from 2020 and 2021. In those posts, El-Sayed explicitly supported the "defund the police" movement, writing that cities allocate excessive resources to policing poverty rather than addressing root causes through schools, health departments, and housing. When asked about the deletions and whether his position has evolved, El-Sayed pivoted to discussing community violence intervention and the need for better police recruitment and retention, without clarifying whether he still holds his previous views. He attributed his earlier statements to his role as a professor teaching criminal justice and public health, suggesting his perspective has shifted since becoming a public official. The incident reflects broader challenges for Democratic candidates who embraced police reform rhetoric during 2020 protests but face political pressure to moderate those positions in general election campaigns.
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Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed dodges question on whether he still supports defunding the police
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