Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is touting police endorsements and promising to work alongside law enforcement. But newly resurfaced recordings reveal a markedly different message from the former defund-the-police advocate.

The Washington Free Beacon uncovered interviews from 2020 and 2021 in which El-Sayed suggested disarming American police officers, criticized police unions and described his personal fear of law enforcement.

During a February 2021 podcast, El-Sayed said police had never been there to help him.

He added that his “heart races” when he encounters officers, including during traffic stops.

Abdul El-Sayed: “In my experience, the police have never been out there to help me.” pic.twitter.com/Q4WCBHWmIW

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 13, 2026

In a separate June 2020 interview, El-Sayed pointed to Britain’s largely unarmed police forces as a model for America, questioning when police had become a military force that “could have its way with us.”

He also accused police unions of sinking “their claws into politicians” to block reform.

Fast-forward to 2026, and El-Sayed is campaigning against Republican Mike Rogers, a former FBI agent, with the endorsement of the Wayne County Deputy Sheriff’s Association.

Campaign advertisements feature former Detroit police chief Warren Evans praising El-Sayed’s record, while the Democrat promises to work “hand in hand with law enforcement.”

James Tignanelli, president of the Police Officers Association of Michigan, criticized El-Sayed’s earlier remarks and defended unions as essential to protecting officers’ rights and benefits.

“We can’t walk off the job like the UAW,” Tignanelli told the Free Beacon.

El-Sayed has since called the defund-the-police slogan “dumb and unnuanced,” while maintaining that some public-safety funding should shift toward healthcare, schools and community programs.

His campaign insists he supports providing officers with the resources needed to combat violent crime.

The policing controversy follows separate questions about El-Sayed’s family history.

During Sunday’s Meet the Press, El-Sayed denied that he or his family had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. But his half-sister, University of Chicago professor Eman Abdelhadi, previously described family involvement with the Islamist organization.

“My family has long been MB,” Abdelhadi wrote in a 2012 social media post. Other posts described their mother’s activism and relatives who supported the organization.

El-Sayed’s campaign disputes allegations of improper Brotherhood connections, accusing Rogers of exploiting the candidate’s religion and family background.

READ: “Abdul El-Sayed touts endorsements from police unions on his campaign website and says he will "work hand in hand with law enforcement" if elected to the Senate in Michigan. But in videos unearthed by the Washington Free Beacon, El-Sayed said his "heart races" out of fear…

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) October 13, 2026