Sanders Campaign Press Release - Abdul El-Sayed Endorses Bernie Sanders for President

WASHINGTON – Michigan physician, epidemiologist, public health expert, and progressive activist Dr. Abdul El-Sayed on Thursday endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for president.

"I'm honored to receive the endorsement of Abdul El-Sayed," Sanders said. "He knows we need a Medicare for All, single-payer system and a government that represents all the people – not just the insurance companies and drug companies. We will together finish what we started in 2016 and transform our country so it works for all of us."

"When I ran for Governor of Michigan, I realized folks were looking for something simple: healthcare when they were sick, a good roof over the heads, drinkable water, clean air, and a good school for their kids," El-Sayed said. "Our political and economic system is robbing them of it—and Bernie has been fighting that system for decades. Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, Free College, No corporate money in politics—we're talking about these things because Bernie put them on our collective conscious. Now it's time to put him in the Oval Office. That's why I'm proud to endorse him for President."

Dr. El-Sayed previously served as Health Director of Detroit, where he rebuilt the city's health department after it was privatized during municipal bankruptcy. In 2018, he ran for governor of Michigan on an unapologetically progressive platform and was endorsed by Sanders as well as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He is the host of "America Dissected" a podcast about America's health produced by Crooked Media. He's the author of the forthcoming book "Healing Politics," which diagnoses our country's epidemic of insecurity and the empathy politics we need to treat it. He is also Chair of Southpaw Michigan, a progressive political action committee. Dr. El-Sayed is an outspoken advocate for Medicare-for-All, co-authoring a book on the subject for publication in 2021.

As a millennial, a Muslim-American and a physician, Dr. El-Sayed represents the ever growing, diverse coalition of support behind Sanders' presidential bid.