US Midterm Elections 2026: Bruce Springsteen is backing a candidate who could make history in race for Michigan’s senator, if he wins: 'He is fighter for our American Constitution'

Abdul El Sayed has earned the backing of many big names in showbiz. Music icon Bruce Springsteen has extended his support to the epidemiologist-turned-Democratic nominee in the race to be Michigan’s senator. El-Sayed is battling Republican nominee Mike Rogers and, if elected, will make history as the very first Muslim in the U.S. Senate. Due to his religion, El Sayed has faced many jibes from Republican politicians, including President Donald Trump. The Streets of Minneapolis hitmaker took to Instagram and wrote that he had El-Sayed’s back as he was fighting against corruption.

“Dr. El-Sayed is a fighter for our American Constitution, he’s a fighter for our American Democracy, and he’s a fighter against the corrupt, lawless, and anti-American leadership currently in the White House,” Springsteen wrote on Instagram ahead of Election Day. “That’s why I’m in his corner 100%.”

The music icon has always been a vocal opponent of Trump’s rule and always maintained that a true patriot never fails to look at his country’s faults critically and help it evolve.


“I believe in critical patriotism. I believe that’s the definition of a patriot, you know, that you love your country so much that you are willing to look at it clearly, recognise its faults, encourage it to be a better place, and believe that you carry in your heart the country that is waiting,” he said in the ‘Bruce Springsteen: Finding America in Song’ PBS special.

Who Is Abdul El Sayed?

Raised in southeastern Michigan, El-Sayed obtained a bachelor's degree at the University of Michigan, He became a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford, where he earned a PhD in public health. He then earned a medical degree at Columbia University and became an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health. From 2015 to 2017, he served as the executive director of the Detroit Health Department. He subsequently held the position of director at the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services from 2023 to 2025.

A progressive and a Democrat, El Sayed vanquished U.S. Representative Haley Stevens in the Democratic Senate primary and is now battling Republican nominee Mike Rogers in the general election. If elected, he would become the first Muslim in the Senate.

He has Egyptian roots. His father is an Imam.