Abdul El-Sayed, a leading Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, called for the mass release of incarcerated individuals during a September 2020 webinar, according to a recording reviewed by Fox News Digital. Speaking at an event hosted by the University of Michigan’s Carceral State Project, El-Sayed argued that the imprisonment of criminals is a sign that “society has failed to deal with real problems” and endorsed policies aimed at emptying correctional facilities. He appeared alongside a convicted murderer and a registered sex offender, both of whom participated as panelists.
El-Sayed, who has aligned himself with independent Senator Bernie Sanders, stated that “any and all efforts to get people out of jails and prisons and to keep people out of jails and prisons is policy that we need to be investing in.” While he framed his remarks partly as a response to COVID-19-related health risks in overcrowded prisons, he explicitly said that the push for decarceration should not end when the pandemic is over. The webinar was promoted with the hashtags #FreeThemAll and #AbolishPrison by the American Friends Service Committee, a co-host of the event.
The comments came at the height of the “defund the police” movement, a period when violent crime was spiking in many U.S. cities and some Democratic-led jurisdictions were reducing police budgets. El-Sayed has since deleted many of his social media posts from that era that endorsed defunding law enforcement, a position that has become increasingly controversial within the Democratic Party. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
During the webinar, El-Sayed described policing and jails as “duct tape” used to patch over broken social systems. “If we’re serious about fixing policing and, or rethinking policing, and fixing the mass incarceration system then we’ve got to fix all the broken problems that lead to them,” he said. He argued that policies forcing people into jail because of poverty must be addressed systematically. The event was advertised as a discussion on “the road to decarceration and abolition.”
El-Sayed is locked in a competitive Democratic primary for Michigan’s open Senate seat, which is being vacated by retiring Senator Debbie Stabenow. He is widely viewed as the most progressive candidate in the race, which has raised concerns among some party strategists about his electability in a general election. A longtime Democratic strategist told Fox News Digital that “Abdul El-Sayed cannot win a general election in Michigan, full stop,” citing his past support for defunding the police and his criticism of law enforcement as “standing armies we deploy against our own people.”
In addition to his stance on criminal justice, El-Sayed has drawn scrutiny for his comments on Israel. During a recent CNN interview, he was repeatedly pressed on whether Israel has a right to exist, a question he deflected by criticizing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) for its spending in the race. He has also claimed that Israel is “just as evil” as Hamas, a statement that has further fueled controversy. On the campaign trail, El-Sayed has promised to be critical of Israel and expand welfare programs if elected.
The resurfaced webinar comments have reignited debate over the direction of the Democratic Party on crime and public safety. El-Sayed’s opponents, including Republican candidate Mike Rogers, are expected to use the remarks to question his fitness for office. The primary election is scheduled for August, with the general election to follow in November.
