Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed twice put his hands on a Sky News reporter’s shoulders during an Election Day confrontation, demanding to know why he should answer questions from a journalist whose viewers couldn’t vote for him.
El-Sayed, who went on to defeat Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s Senate race, brushed off correspondent James Matthews on Tuesday by questioning the relevance of his British network.
“Are you registered to vote in the state of Michigan?” El-Sayed asked as he approached Matthews.
“I’m not,” the U.S.-based British correspondent replied.
“Why would I care to have a conversation with you?” El-Sayed fired back.
When Matthews explained that he was a journalist, the Democrat responded, “in the U.K.”
“You know how many votes I want to get in the U.K.? Zero,” El-Sayed said, placing both hands on Matthews’ shoulders. “I’m never running for office in the U.K.”
Matthews pushed back, saying the election “matters to the world” and reminding El-Sayed that he was “bidding to be a senator.”
“A senator in where? What country? What country?” El-Sayed asked, again putting his hands on the reporter’s shoulders.
“The United States,” Matthews answered.
WATCH:
Michigan’s Democratic candidate for Senate Abdul El-Sayed confronted @jamesmatthewsky, telling him he wouldn’t answer his questions as he wants “zero” votes in the UK.
Watch the heated exchange between the two.
Watch our live coverage of the US midterms➡️ https://t.co/hrELyhg17W
— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 3, 2026
“What country are you with?” El-Sayed asked.
“I’m based in the United States,” Matthews said.
“But you report for where? Where are your viewers?” El-Sayed interrupted.
Matthews explained that Sky News serves an international audience. El-Sayed dismissed that explanation, insisting “Sky News is not viewed in the United States of America” and claiming “like five people” watch the network in the U.S.
“I’ve answered all the questions, I’ve answered all the questions for the viewers of the United Kingdom. So I’m going to ask you to stop chasing me around. Please,” El-Sayed said before walking away.
POLL: Does Abdul El-Sayed Belong In The Senate?
Matthews denied that he was “chasing” the candidate.
Sky News stood behind its correspondent, saying he was doing his job by questioning a candidate for an office with influence far beyond Michigan.
“We’re proud of our correspondent James Matthews, who was doing his job: covering the election campaign and asking straightforward questions on behalf of our audiences,” a Sky News spokesman told Fox News Digital. “The outcome of US elections has ramifications globally, including in the UK and across the 138 countries worldwide where millions of people consume Sky News.”
According to Fox News Digital’s account, Matthews had also tried to question El-Sayed on Monday about Democratic Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens’ endorsement of Rogers.
“If you keep being in my way, I’m not going to be very happy,” El-Sayed told the reporter during that encounter, Fox reported.
Fox News Digital reported that El-Sayed’s campaign did not respond to its requests for comment.
Despite the late campaign friction, El-Sayed prevailed in the closely watched Senate contest, denying Republicans a pickup in a battleground state President Trump carried in 2024.
The Democrat celebrated his victory early Wednesday as his party won control of both the House and Senate, dealing Republicans a major midterm setback.
