Skip to the story
All StoriesPoliticsConflict & SecurityBusiness & EconomyScience & TechHealthClimateMedia
All stories
Politics11 outlets ran this5 min read

Abdul El-Sayed faces backlash over 2018 remark calling Mackinac Island 'hated'

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee’s resurfaced video draws Republican attacks after primary win over Haley Stevens

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
Abdul El-Sayed Faces Backlash Over Comment About Loathing Popular Midwest Island

What this story says

  • 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.

Who covered it

Left 13%(1)Centre 24%(2)Right 63%(5)

Percentages are shares of the 8 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 3 of the 11 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

78/100

Craft

95/100

Hype

45/100

11 sources · methodology

Thin on the left so far

Only 1 of the 8 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

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.

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".

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.

What the reports agree on

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*.

What the coverage left out

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.

Tags:#MichiganSenateRace#USPolitics#Election2026#MackinacIsland#DemocraticPrimary

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 8 Aug 2026, 19:30, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

1 rated outlet

  • 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

2 rated outlets

  • 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

5 rated outlets

  • 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.

Read it at the source

11 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

1

Centre

2

Right

5

Not rated

3

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

More in Politics

All Politics →
Michigan Democratic Senate primary won by Abdul El-Sayed as Trump calls victory good for GOP5 min readMichigan Democratic Senate primary won by Abdul El-Sayed as Trump calls victory good for GOPRead storyKamala Harris endorses Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan Senate race after tight primary4 min readKamala Harris endorses Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan Senate race after tight primaryRead storyPentagon revokes Frank Kendall’s security clearance over Air Force One leak4 min readPentagon revokes Frank Kendall’s security clearance over Air Force One leakRead story
Abdul El-Sayed and Mackinac Island: how all sides covered it | MediaBias News