Fox News medical contributor Dr Marc Siegel argues that the row over whether Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate in Michigan's US Senate primary, may accurately call himself a "physician" is a substantive issue rather than mere political theatre. The controversy gained prominence when left-wing Zeteo host Mehdi Hasan pressed El-Sayed on the point during an interview, questioning whether he should style himself a "physician" given that he does not hold a valid state medical licence. Siegel sides with Hasan's line of questioning, contending that the distinction matters to voters because the qualities of a good physician overlap with those of a good senator.

Siegel notes that El-Sayed earned a medical degree from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons and a doctorate in public health from Oxford, credentials he says make El-Sayed a doctor and an epidemiologist but not a practising physician, since he has not practised medicine. He points out that most state licensing boards, including New York's, reserve the title "physician" for those licensed to practise medicine or surgery. To underline the standard, Siegel cites a lineage of doctor-senators — including orthopaedic surgeon John Barrasso, gastroenterologist Bill Cassidy, ophthalmologist Rand Paul, OB-GYN Roger Marshall and heart surgeon Bill Frist, who performed more than 150 heart and lung transplants before serving as Senate majority leader.