Abdul El-Sayed, an epidemiologist and former Detroit health officer, is running for the US Senate in Michigan while the state faces a "twin" public health crisis: hazardous air quality from Canadian wildfire smoke and the country's highest number of cyclosporiasis cases, a gastrointestinal illness linked to contaminated food. He argues these visible, tangible problems make it easier to explain to voters why investment in public health infrastructure matters, drawing on his medical and policy background as a candidate for Michigan's open Senate seat.

El-Sayed links the cyclosporiasis outbreak to cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which downsized the federal lab responsible for testing food safety, including lettuce, last year. He is in a tight Democratic primary and has attracted high-profile progressive backing, including a rally with Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and an endorsement from Senator Elizabeth Warren. In an interview with WIRED, he said he would push to summon EPA, CDC and FDA leaders before Congress to investigate failures in food safety and public data, and tied the issue to broader concerns about corporate influence and money in politics.