A resurfaced video shows Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed saying he “hates” Mackinac Island, one of the state’s most beloved tourist spots, sparking fury from voters and Republicans alike.
Quick Take
- A 2020 documentary clip shows El-Sayed saying “I hate Mackinac so much” while walking through the island during his 2018 governor run.
- Kid Rock, Republicans, and everyday Michiganders slammed the Democratic Senate nominee over the comments.
- El-Sayed’s defenders claim he meant the Mackinac Policy Conference, not the island itself, but the clip’s own words say otherwise.
- The controversy adds to growing scrutiny of El-Sayed as he runs for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat this year.
Old Footage Resurfaces And Ignites Backlash
The footage comes from “How to Fix a Primary,” a 2020 documentary about El-Sayed’s failed 2018 bid for Michigan governor. In the clip, he walks through Mackinac Island, a car-free tourist town known for the Grand Hotel and horse-drawn carriages, and complains, “I hate Mackinac so much. Every time I’ve ever come here, I’ve hated it. Why am I here?” The clip resurfaced online this month and quickly went viral.
Michigan native Kid Rock did not hold back. He blasted El-Sayed’s comments as “idiotic” during a Fox News appearance, joining a wave of criticism from conservatives who called the remarks tone-deaf and out of touch with everyday Michigan families. The backlash spread fast across social media, with users mocking El-Sayed for trashing a place millions of families visit every summer.
Regular Michiganders piled on too. Many pointed out that Mackinac Island is a working-class summer tradition, not some elite hideaway, making El-Sayed’s complaint feel especially insulting to families who save all year for a trip there. Republicans, including Representative Lisa McClain, seized on the moment as proof El-Sayed does not understand the state he wants to represent.
El-Sayed’s Defense Does Not Match His Own Words
El-Sayed and his supporters pushed back, arguing the comments were really aimed at the Mackinac Policy Conference, an annual gathering of political insiders and donors held on the island, not the island itself. Some online defenders claimed the clip was taken out of context and that El-Sayed was criticizing elite politics, not the tourist destination.
That explanation runs into a problem: the documentary clip shows El-Sayed physically walking through the island’s streets, past the Grand Hotel and horse-drawn carriages, saying he hates coming there “every time.” He never mentions the conference by name in the released footage. His own later response focused on questioning whether a car-free island could really be “the most American place in Michigan,” not on clarifying that he meant the conference all along.
El-Sayed has separately criticized the Mackinac Policy Conference on the record before, once calling it “exactly what is wrong with politics” back in 2018. That history gives some weight to the conference explanation. But it does not erase the plain words in the resurfaced clip, which describe hating Mackinac itself on repeated visits, not a single conference event.
Controversy Adds To Senate Race Scrutiny
El-Sayed is running for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat this year alongside fellow Democrats Haley Stevens and Mallory McMorrow, and the three clashed at the actual Mackinac Policy Conference in May over issues like the filibuster and billionaire taxes. The resurfaced clip now hands Republicans fresh ammunition heading into the general election, painting El-Sayed as dismissive of a landmark that represents Michigan pride for many voters.
🚨BREAKING: Elon Musk’s America PAC is now openly targeting Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed.
The move follows El-Sayed’s resurfaced comments saying he “hates” Mackinac Island, one of the state’s most iconic locations. Critics are seizing on the… pic.twitter.com/2hq3aRmh8v
— Bobby Lawrence News (@BobbyLawreubp9) August 10, 2026
Conservative groups, including the Senate Leadership Fund, quickly amplified the clip, framing it as evidence of a candidate out of step with the state he hopes to represent in Washington. Whether the comments were about the conference or the island, the timing could not be worse for a Senate hopeful trying to connect with everyday Michigan families ahead of a hard-fought general election.
Sources:
washingtontimes.com, x.com, detroitnews.com, foxnews.com, facebook.com, senateleadershipfund.org
