Michigan Senate candidate endorsed by AOC and Bernie Sanders insists he's not a socialist

Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed insisted during an interview on Tuesday that he was "simply not a socialist," when pressed on his close relationship with socialist figures such as Sen.Bernie Sanders, I-VT., or Rep.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y."Let me ask you about democratic socialism because you have a new ad with AOC in the ad," MS NOW's Jen Psaki asked."You've been — you're very close to Bernie Sanders.

You've had a number of these very popular officials come out and campaign for you.You've also said that you're not a democratic socialist.

You describe yourself as a capitalist who understands capitalism." "But what is the difference? What are they getting wrong?" she continued."I think this is confusing to a lot of people.

What are they getting wrong about capitalism, or why don't you consider yourself a member of the democratic socialist movement? Given your proximity in your relationship to all of these officials.""Because I'm simply not a socialist," El-Sayed said."I believe in science.

For me, you got to bring results.I've studied a lot of the solutions that I fight for, things like Medicare for All, things like rethinking the way that our financial system implies that corporate CEOs are more interested in a quarterly bottom line than they are in the long-term sustainability of their business."SOCIALISM'S WAR ON SUCCESS HAS A NEW CHAMPION — AND HE’S RUNNING FOR SENATE IN MICHIGANSen.

Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a news conference at the U.S.Capitol on May 20, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic Senate candidate from Michigan, speaks during a community meetup at Rouge Park in Detroit, Michigan, on July 26, 2026.Rep.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks at TU Berlin on February 15, 2026.(Alex Wong/Getty Images; Sarah Rice/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Annette Riedl/picture alliance via Getty Images)El-Sayed is running in the Michigan Democratic Senate primary against U.S.

Rep.Haley Stevens on August 4.

The pair de...