{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/politics/abdul-el-sayed-faces-backlash-over-2018-remark-calling-mackinac-island-hated","slug":"abdul-el-sayed-faces-backlash-over-2018-remark-calling-mackinac-island-hated","url":"https://mediabias.news/politics/abdul-el-sayed-faces-backlash-over-2018-remark-calling-mackinac-island-hated","title":"Abdul El-Sayed faces backlash over 2018 remark calling Mackinac Island 'hated'","subtitle":"Michigan Democratic Senate nominee’s resurfaced video draws Republican attacks after primary win over Haley Stevens","excerpt":"A 2018 video of Abdul El-Sayed saying he \"hated\" Mackinac Island resurfaced days after he won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary. Republican opponent Mike Rogers shared photos of himself on the island, while El-Sayed defended his comment by noting its car ban.","category":"Politics","area":"United States","publishedAt":"2026-08-08T18:25:33.320Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-08-08T16:31:45.679Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-08T18:25:33.320Z","readTime":"5 min read","scores":{"trust":78,"critic":95,"hype":45,"notes":{"trust":"Trust 78: multiple named sources, specific figures with origins, and exact time/place corroborated across outlets.","critic":"Critic 95: clear attribution, quotes, specific data, and explanation of why the story matters.","hype":"Hype 45: loaded adjectives used but coverage stays proportionate to the facts."}},"tags":["#MichiganSenateRace","#USPolitics","#Election2026","#MackinacIsland","#DemocraticPrimary"],"entities":["Abdul El-Sayed","Mike Rogers","Haley Stevens","Mackinac Island","Michigan","Donald Trump"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary on 6 August 2026, defeating Haley Stevens by 1.5 percentage points.","A 2018 video resurfaced in which El-Sayed said he \"hated\" Mackinac Island, a popular Michigan tourist destination with a summer governor’s residence.","Republican opponent Mike Rogers posted photos of himself on Mackinac Island after the clip circulated, calling it \"no place like Mackinac\".","El-Sayed raised over $2.3 million in the two days following his primary victory, as reported by Internewscast."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Abdul El-Sayed became the Democratic nominee for Michigan’s open Senate seat after defeating Haley Stevens in the party’s primary on 6 August 2026. The margin was 1.5 percentage points, narrower than polling had predicted. El-Sayed, a progressive backed by Bernie Sanders, raised more than $2.3 million in donations within two days of his victory, as reported by Internewscast."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A 2018 video resurfaced in which El-Sayed, then a gubernatorial candidate, said he \"hated\" Mackinac Island. The island, located near Michigan’s border with Canada, is a popular tourist destination and hosts a summer residence for the state’s governor. Cars have been banned there since the 1890s. In the video, El-Sayed questioned why he would have to live there part-time if elected, calling it a place he \"hated\"."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, shared photos of himself and his wife on Mackinac Island after the clip circulated. One post included the caption \"There’s no place like Mackinac\". Rogers, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary after an early endorsement from Donald Trump, has framed the race as a choice between \"socialism and solutions\". Conservative groups have committed $15 million to support his campaign, as reported by Internewscast."},{"type":"heading","text":"What the reports agree on"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"All 11 reports confirm that a 2018 video of El-Sayed calling Mackinac Island \"hated\" resurfaced after his primary win. They also agree that Rogers responded by posting photos of himself on the island. The digests from the Washington Times, Fox News, Bizpac Review, ussanews.com, Twitchy, Conservative News Daily, and the Sunday Guardian Live all note that the clip sparked backlash. The Hindustan Times and Internewscast specify that the video was from a 2020 documentary titled *How to Fix a Primary*."},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"None of the right-rated digests mentioned that El-Sayed raised over $2.3 million in the two days following his primary win. The left-rated digest from Raw Story did not report Rogers’ photos of Mackinac Island or the $15 million in conservative campaign funding. The unrated digests from the Sunday Guardian Live, Conservative News Daily, and the Senate Leadership Fund omitted El-Sayed’s social media response to the backlash."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"Bizpac Review","url":"https://bizpacreview.com/2026/08/08/mike-rogers-has-perfect-response-to-abdul-el-sayed-hates-mackinac-hot-mic-debacle-1653980","headline":"Mike Rogers has perfect response to Abdul El-Sayed ‘hates Mackinac’ hot mic debacle","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-08T16:31:45.679Z"},{"sourceName":"ussanews.com","url":"https://ussanews.com/2026/08/08/el-sayed-faces-backlash-over-sketchy-resurfaced-video","headline":"El-Sayed Faces Backlash Over Sketchy Resurfaced Video","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-08T13:05:41.949Z"},{"sourceName":"Internewscast","url":"https://internewscast.com/news/abdul-el-sayed-faces-backlash-over-comment-about-loathing-popular-midwest-island","headline":"Abdul El-Sayed Faces Backlash Over Comment About Loathing Popular Midwest Island","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T23:46:16.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Sunday Guardian Live","url":"https://sundayguardianlive.com/world/abdul-el-sayed-michigan-senate-nominee-faces-backlash-over-resurfaced-clip-hating-mackinac-island-256134","headline":"Abdul El-Sayed: Michigan Senate Nominee Faces Backlash Over Resurfaced Clip ‘Hating’ Mackinac Island","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T22:10:48.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Conservative News Daily","url":"https://conservativenewsdaily.net/breaking-news/no-place-like-mackinac-mike-rogers-trolls-abdul-el-sayed","headline":"‘No place like Mackinac’: Mike Rogers trolls Abdul el Sayed","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T21:42:02.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Washington Times","url":"https://washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/7/el-sayed-fire-resurfaced-clip-trashing-michigans-mackinac-island","headline":"El-Sayed under fire for resurfaced clip trashing Michigan’s Mackinac Island","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T20:28:41.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Raw Story","url":"https://rawstory.com/abdul-el-sayed-2677673633","headline":"MAGA battered by epic clapback over surging Dem's supposed 'hot mic' moment","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T20:20:02.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Fox News","url":"https://foxnews.com/politics/unearthed-clip-el-sayed-revealing-hate-iconic-michigan-town-sparks-online-firestorm-dark-heart","headline":"Unearthed clip of El-Sayed revealing his 'hate' for iconic Michigan town sparks online firestorm: 'Dark heart'","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T20:04:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Hindustan Times","url":"https://hindustantimes.com/trending/us/what-did-abdul-el-sayed-say-about-mackinac-island-resurfaced-clip-sparks-outrage-so-unappreciative-101786120569147.html","headline":"What did Abdul El-Sayed say about Mackinac Island? Resurfaced clip sparks outrage: 'So unappreciative'","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T17:20:51.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Senate Leadership Fund","url":"https://senateleadershipfund.org/press-releases/watch-abdul-el-sayed-trashes-mackinac-island","headline":"Abdul El-Sayed Trashes Mackinac Island","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T16:25:36.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Twitchy","url":"https://twitchy.com/justmindy/2026/08/07/el-sayed-hates-mackinac-n2431054","headline":"'I Hate Mackinac': Michigan Senate Hopeful Abdul El-Sayed Prefers Dubai Over America’s Crown Jewel","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T15:30:49.000Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":13,"centre":24,"right":63},"count":{"left":1,"centre":2,"right":5},"totalSources":11,"untracked":3,"rated":8,"observedAt":"2026-08-08T16:37:56.596Z"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-08-08T20:30:23.967Z","closedAt":null,"checks":9,"changes":0,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":["The only left-rated report, from Raw Story, led on El-Sayed’s response to the backlash rather than the video itself. The digest describes his remark as a \"supposed 'hot mic' moment\" and notes that he \"hit back\" over it. The framing contrasts with the right-rated digests, which presented the video as a damaging revelation. Raw Story’s digest does not mention Rogers’ photos of Mackinac Island or the $15 million in conservative campaign funding."],"centre":["The two centre-rated digests, from Internewscast and the Hindustan Times, both led on the resurfaced video and the backlash it generated. Internewscast’s full report provided the most detail, including El-Sayed’s social media response, in which he referenced Mackinac Island’s car ban. The Hindustan Times’ digest described the clip as sparking \"outrage\" and quoted El-Sayed’s remark as \"so unappreciative\". Neither digest omitted the $2.3 million fundraising figure or Rogers’ photos."],"right":["All five right-rated digests led on the resurfaced video, framing it as a damaging gaffe. The Washington Times, Fox News, and ussanews.com described the clip as showing El-Sayed \"trashing\" or \"hating\" Mackinac Island. Twitchy’s headline claimed El-Sayed \"prefers Dubai over America’s crown jewel\", though the digest did not provide evidence for this. Bizpac Review’s digest noted that El-Sayed \"chose to double down\" on his remark, but did not specify how. None of the right-rated digests mentioned El-Sayed’s $2.3 million fundraising haul or his debate challenge to Rogers."],"comparison":""},"blindspot":{"status":"provisional","underrepresentedSide":"left","note":"Coverage is not closed; this is a provisional gap, not a settled blindspot finding."},"sourceFactualityDistribution":{"low":2,"mixed":5,"high":1,"unknown":3},"ownershipDistribution":{"mediaConglomerate":2,"independent":3,"other":1},"firstDatedReport":{"sourceName":"Twitchy","url":"https://twitchy.com/justmindy/2026/08/07/el-sayed-hates-mackinac-n2431054","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T15:30:49.000Z"},"countries":[{"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","count":2},{"country":"United States","count":1},{"country":"New Delhi, Delhi, India, India","count":1},{"country":"New York, New York, United States","count":1},{"country":"West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida, United States","count":1}],"outlets":[{"name":"Twitchy","url":"https://twitchy.com/justmindy/2026/08/07/el-sayed-hates-mackinac-n2431054","headline":"'I Hate Mackinac': Michigan Senate Hopeful Abdul El-Sayed Prefers Dubai Over America’s Crown Jewel","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T15:30:49.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"farRight","factualityRating":"low","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Senate Leadership Fund","url":"https://senateleadershipfund.org/press-releases/watch-abdul-el-sayed-trashes-mackinac-island","headline":"Abdul El-Sayed Trashes Mackinac Island","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T16:25:36.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Hindustan Times","url":"https://hindustantimes.com/trending/us/what-did-abdul-el-sayed-say-about-mackinac-island-resurfaced-clip-sparks-outrage-so-unappreciative-101786120569147.html","headline":"What did Abdul El-Sayed say about Mackinac Island? Resurfaced clip sparks outrage: 'So unappreciative'","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T17:20:51.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"mixed","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"New Delhi, Delhi, India, India","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Fox News","url":"https://foxnews.com/politics/unearthed-clip-el-sayed-revealing-hate-iconic-michigan-town-sparks-online-firestorm-dark-heart","headline":"Unearthed clip of El-Sayed revealing his 'hate' for iconic Michigan town sparks online firestorm: 'Dark heart'","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T20:04:00.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"right","factualityRating":"mixed","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"New York, New York, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Raw Story","url":"https://rawstory.com/abdul-el-sayed-2677673633","headline":"MAGA battered by epic clapback over surging Dem's supposed 'hot mic' moment","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T20:20:02.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"left","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":true,"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Washington Times","url":"https://washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/7/el-sayed-fire-resurfaced-clip-trashing-michigans-mackinac-island","headline":"El-Sayed under fire for resurfaced clip trashing Michigan’s Mackinac Island","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T20:28:41.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"leanRight","factualityRating":"mixed","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Conservative News Daily","url":"https://conservativenewsdaily.net/breaking-news/no-place-like-mackinac-mike-rogers-trolls-abdul-el-sayed","headline":"‘No place like Mackinac’: Mike Rogers trolls Abdul el Sayed","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T21:42:02.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"The Sunday Guardian Live","url":"https://sundayguardianlive.com/world/abdul-el-sayed-michigan-senate-nominee-faces-backlash-over-resurfaced-clip-hating-mackinac-island-256134","headline":"Abdul El-Sayed: Michigan Senate Nominee Faces Backlash Over Resurfaced Clip ‘Hating’ Mackinac Island","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T22:10:48.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Internewscast","url":"https://internewscast.com/news/abdul-el-sayed-faces-backlash-over-comment-about-loathing-popular-midwest-island","headline":"Abdul El-Sayed Faces Backlash Over Comment About Loathing Popular Midwest Island","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T23:46:16.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"mixed","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"ussanews.com","url":"https://ussanews.com/2026/08/08/el-sayed-faces-backlash-over-sketchy-resurfaced-video","headline":"El-Sayed Faces Backlash Over Sketchy Resurfaced Video","publishedAt":"2026-08-08T13:05:41.949Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"farRight","factualityRating":"low","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Bizpac Review","url":"https://bizpacreview.com/2026/08/08/mike-rogers-has-perfect-response-to-abdul-el-sayed-hates-mackinac-hot-mic-debacle-1653980","headline":"Mike Rogers has perfect response to Abdul El-Sayed ‘hates Mackinac’ hot mic debacle","publishedAt":"2026-08-08T16:31:45.679Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"right","factualityRating":"mixed","angle":null,"isOpinion":true,"country":"West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida, United States","repostedFrom":null}]},"assessment":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"citation":{"recommended":"MediaBias News, \"Abdul El-Sayed faces backlash over 2018 remark calling Mackinac Island 'hated'\", https://mediabias.news/politics/abdul-el-sayed-faces-backlash-over-2018-remark-calling-mackinac-island-hated","canonicalUrl":"https://mediabias.news/politics/abdul-el-sayed-faces-backlash-over-2018-remark-calling-mackinac-island-hated","instructions":["Cite and link the canonical article URL, not the API, markdown mirror, homepage, or an original outlet URL.","When using a Trust, Craft, or Hype score, name the score and preserve its direction; lower Hype is better.","When using the coverage split, framing comparison, or blindspot finding, attribute the analysis to Media Bias News.","Do not describe this article as a fact check unless a future API response explicitly reports factCheck.status as performed."]},"links":{"canonical":"https://mediabias.news/politics/abdul-el-sayed-faces-backlash-over-2018-remark-calling-mackinac-island-hated","json":"https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/abdul-el-sayed-faces-backlash-over-2018-remark-calling-mackinac-island-hated","markdown":"https://mediabias.news/politics/abdul-el-sayed-faces-backlash-over-2018-remark-calling-mackinac-island-hated.md","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology"}}}