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Senate Nominee Abdul El-Sayed Backlash Over “I Hate Mackinac” Video

8/8/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan faced backlash after a 2020 video where he said, “I hate Mackinac.”
The clip posted Friday went viral, prompting criticism from Mollie Hemingway, Steve Cortes and Sarah Gallagher on X.
Brad LaPlante said the comment was out of context, referring to the Mackinac Policy Conference.
Tudor Dixon called El-Sayed disrespectful while El-Sayed replied that a car-free place cannot be “most American place in MI.”

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Story summary

Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan faced backlash after a 2020 video where he said, “I hate Mackinac.”
The clip posted Friday went viral, prompting criticism from Mollie Hemingway, Steve Cortes and Sarah Gallagher on X.
Brad LaPlante said the comment was out of context, referring to the Mackinac Policy Conference.
Tudor Dixon called El-Sayed disrespectful while El-Sayed replied that a car-free place cannot be “most American place in MI.”