Abdul El-Sayed may be campaigning for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, but a resurfaced clip from his 2018 gubernatorial bid is drawing fresh attention after he bluntly declared his disdain for one of the state’s biggest tourist attractions.
Footage from the 2020 documentary How To Fix A Primary shows El-Sayed walking along Mackinac Island as horse-drawn carriages pass by when he vents about the popular vacation destination.
“I hate Mackinac so much,” El-Sayed says while heading toward the Grand Hotel.
He then jokes about the possibility of living there if he had won the governor’s race, referencing the official summer residence used by Michigan governors.
“It’s funny cause, like, if we win, this is gonna be, like, the summer home,” El-Sayed said.
“I’m just gonna be like every time I’ve ever come here, I’ve hated it. Why am I here,” he added with a derisive laugh.
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The comments stand in stark contrast to Mackinac Island’s reputation. In 2025, USA Today readers voted the northern Michigan destination the Best Summer Travel Destination, cementing its status as one of the state’s premier tourist attractions.
Mackinac Island may be a treasured institution to many Michiganders, but not to Abdul El-Sayed.
“I hate Mackinac so much,” he said in a 2020 documentary about himself.
“…every time I’ve ever come here, I’ve hated it. Why am I here?” pic.twitter.com/e4w1Lhf8eo
— The Midwesterner (@Th_Midwesterner) August 7, 2026
Years after making the remarks, spotted by The Midwesterner, El-Sayed struck a much different tone while mingling with Michigan business and political leaders at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Policy Conference in May.
The documentary chronicling El-Sayed’s unsuccessful 2018 gubernatorial campaign centers on his argument that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer benefited from a Democratic primary tilted against him.
A description from the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival says El-Sayed entered the race with an impressive resume as a Detroit native, Rhodes scholar, former city health director and Ivy League professor. It also highlights his endorsement from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, his refusal to accept PAC money and his support for a statewide “Medicare for All” health care system.
The festival description argues his campaign ultimately fell short because of “Islamophobia,” “attempts to discredit El-Sayed’s eligibility, an incumbent entrenched in corporate money, and a self-funded candidate who threw millions of dollars at advertising for name recognition.”
“It’s a campaign story, but it’s not blue versus red—it’s grass roots versus the establishment,” the listing says.
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