Abdul El-Sayed is once again facing scrutiny over comments from his unsuccessful 2018 campaign for Michigan governor, after an old documentary clip resurfaced while he campaigns for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat.
In the footage, El-Sayed is shown walking across Mackinac Island as horse-drawn carriages move through the popular tourist destination.
His reaction to the setting was anything but enthusiastic.
“I hate Mackinac so much,” he says in the clip.
A Very Different View of Michigan’s Famous Destination
El-Sayed’s comments become even more pointed as he approaches the Grand Hotel and discusses the possibility of becoming governor.
He jokes that winning the election would mean Mackinac Island could become part of his official responsibilities, referring to the governor’s summer residence on the island.
He then reflects on his previous visits with an unmistakable sense of frustration, questioning why he had continued returning to a place he said he disliked.
The clip has attracted renewed attention because Mackinac Island remains one of Michigan’s best-known vacation destinations.
Mackinac Island Remains a Tourist Favorite
El-Sayed’s assessment stands in sharp contrast with the island’s popularity among visitors.
In 2025, USA Today readers selected Mackinac Island as the country’s Best Summer Travel Destination, highlighting the location’s enduring appeal.
The historic island is known for its car-free streets, horse-drawn transportation and iconic Grand Hotel, making it a major part of Michigan’s tourism industry.
That reputation has made El-Sayed’s blunt comments particularly easy for political opponents to revisit as he seeks a new statewide office.
The Comments Date Back to His 2018 Governor’s Race
The footage comes from How To Fix A Primary, a 2020 documentary that followed El-Sayed’s unsuccessful campaign for Michigan governor.
At the time, El-Sayed was attempting to challenge the Democratic establishment with a campaign built around progressive policies and grassroots organising.
He ultimately lost the Democratic primary to Gretchen Whitmer, who went on to win the general election.
The documentary portrayed the campaign as a struggle between grassroots politics and the established political system.
El-Sayed’s Campaign Had an Unusual Profile
El-Sayed entered the 2018 race with an academic and public-health background.
A Detroit native, he had been a Rhodes scholar, served as Detroit’s health director and worked as a professor at an Ivy League university.
His campaign attracted national attention after receiving an endorsement from progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
He also declined PAC money and advocated for a statewide Medicare for All system.
The documentary’s festival description argued that his campaign faced several obstacles, including disputes over his eligibility, Islamophobia and an established Democratic candidate backed by corporate funding.
His Mackinac Appearance Later Took a Different Tone
The resurfaced footage is especially notable because El-Sayed later appeared at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Policy Conference in May, where he interacted with Michigan’s business and political community.
That appearance offered a much more conventional political setting on the same island he had previously criticised so openly.
The contrast between the old documentary footage and his later presence has now become part of the conversation surrounding his Senate campaign.
A Senate Campaign Gives the Old Clip New Relevance
El-Sayed is now seeking the Democratic nomination for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, putting him back on a statewide political stage.
As the campaign develops, the resurfaced footage provides opponents with an opportunity to question his connection to Michigan institutions and traditions.
For El-Sayed, however, the remarks are more than eight years old and came in the context of a documentary following an unusually contentious gubernatorial campaign.
Whether Michigan voters view the comments as an amusing personal opinion or an uncomfortable political liability could depend on how prominently the clip features in the Senate race.
An Old Campaign Moment Becomes New Political Ammunition
The renewed interest illustrates how comments made years ago can quickly regain political significance in the age of social media.
What was once a brief moment captured during a documentary about a failed gubernatorial campaign is now circulating again as El-Sayed attempts another run for statewide office.
And this time, his critics are using his own words about one of Michigan’s most beloved destinations to put his political record back under the microscope.
