Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is facing criticism after downplaying concerns about transgender issues in schools, saying children can already access virtually anything through their phones.
El-Sayed, a physician challenging Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan, addressed the debate over transgender athletes competing in sports against the sex they were assigned at birth during an interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday.
The issue has become a major flashpoint nationwide, with parents citing concerns about safety, privacy and shared locker rooms. El-Sayed, however, said it was not a genuine priority for voters.
‘I think we manufacture these social issues,’ he said, arguing that children already have access to ‘all the world’s information’ through their phones.
Michigan is among a small group of battleground states expected to help determine control of the Senate. The seat is open because Democratic Senator Gary Peters is retiring, while Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority.
El-Sayed entered Tuesday’s vote with an 11-point advantage over Rogers, leading 53 percent to 42 percent in a New York Times/Siena poll released Sunday.
Rogers seized on the 60 Minutes exchange. The clip had been viewed 3.7 million times after he posted it on X on Sunday evening.
‘@AbdulElSayed says it’s ok for MEN to be in girl’s locker rooms. Why? “Well because they are going to find out about it on the internet anyway” Completely unacceptable,’ Rogers wrote.
El-Sayed, a physician campaigning against Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan, discussed the debate over transgender athletes during a Sunday interview with 60 Minutes
El-Sayed did not use those precise words during the interview.
Critics nevertheless continued to attack his response. A foundation founded by former Olympic cyclist Inga Thompson described it as ‘a slick, silver tongued way of saying women’s rights don’t matter.’
‘This man is truly frightening,’ the foundation added.
Speaking to 60 Minutes, El-Sayed said: ‘The notion somehow that you are going to prevent your child from being exposed to something that you may find disagreeable and that that is going to be because of school is so profoundly outdated.’
He then argued that the debate over transgender athletes was diverting attention from issues such as rising costs and access to health care.
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‘A lot of the cultural war issues that get fought right now are about trying to distract us from the fact that we can’t afford our gas, can’t afford our groceries, can’t see a doctor, are worried about whether or not our kids are going to have a good life,’ El-Sayed said.
‘And instead, we’re out here talking about who gets to play what sport, which, you know, should be the question of the people who govern sports,’ he continued.
‘I’m not running to govern sports, right?’ he added.
‘My interest is in making sure that people have the ability to live a good life, that they can have the healthcare that they need, that they can breathe clean air, drink clean water, that they’ve got good schools that are well funded in the first place.’
El-Sayed’s polling lead has survived a late break with his own party.
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Representative Haley Stevens, who was defeated by El-Sayed in the primary, endorsed Rogers on Sunday and appeared with him at a Detroit church
Most recent polls were conducted before Democratic Representative Haley Stevens, who lost to El-Sayed in the primary, endorsed Rogers on Sunday and joined him at a Detroit church.
Her decision followed a dispute over an outside group’s advertisement connecting Americans’ financial struggles with US aid to Israel. Stevens had urged El-Sayed to condemn the ad, which he did on Saturday.
A planned joint appearance later collapsed, with Stevens saying El-Sayed’s campaign had instructed her not to attend his events.
‘My mind is made up, I’m rock solid. I’m an independent woman, I made my decision,’ Stevens told Anderson Cooper on Sunday night.
CNN reported that most members of her congressional staff resigned after learning about the endorsement on social media.
‘At the end of the day, I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens,’ El-Sayed told reporters.
