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A fresh round of reporting has put Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El‑Sayed back in the political hot seat. Conservative outlets and GOP figures seized on resurfaced Columbia University papers he coauthored and new video of a Hollywood fundraiser hosted by Jeffrey Soros. Critics say the work and the money explain how a young researcher who never finished medical training vaulted into a high‑profile political career. Voters deserve straight answers — not spin.
What resurfaced and why it matters
The story centers on a batch of peer‑reviewed papers El‑Sayed coauthored while at Columbia that focused on race, ethnicity, immigration and religion. Two studies drew the most heat: a population study on suicide among Arab‑Americans that discusses religion and cultural norms, and a paper on “interethnic mating” that reported links between paternal ethnicity and some birth outcomes for Arab‑American mothers. Critics — including United States Senator Ted Cruz — blasted the findings as thin science with dangerous implications, calling one paper “science with a pre‑ordained racist & eugenics outcome.” Supporters note the work was peer‑reviewed and coauthored with established public‑health scholars, but the political fallout is real.
Soros money, fellowship aid, and a Hollywood fundraiser
Funding that raised eyebrows
El‑Sayed was a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow, an award that typically pays up to about $90,000 for graduate study. More recently, Jeffrey Soros hosted a closed‑door fundraiser where high‑dollar guests could meet the candidate. Video of that event and reports of large donation tiers have conservative critics arguing that elite donor networks helped bankroll and accelerate his rise. It’s a neat choreography: scholarship dollars followed by celebrity donors and big checks. The optics clash with El‑Sayed’s frequent rhetoric about the corrupting influence of billionaires on politics — awkward at best, hypocritical at worst.
From campus research to political office
The headlines matter because they fit a pattern. After Columbia, El‑Sayed never completed residency training and never obtained a medical license, yet he used the “doctor” cachet while moving into leadership roles, including as Detroit’s health chief. Critics say labels and funding built an academic brand that translated into political capital. Voices across the right and some uneasy Democrats have urged a harder look at whether the academic claims match the methods and limits in those papers. A former Democratic chief counsel called the resurfaced work “over the top,” underscoring that this is not just partisan sniping.
Bottom line: voters should get clarity
This controversy is not likely to vanish. The papers are public. The fellowship is on record. The fundraiser video is circulating. That leaves two questions for El‑Sayed and for Michigan voters: did those studies reflect rigorous, balanced scholarship or thin, ideologically driven claims, and how much did elite funding shape his path to a statewide campaign? Democrats can defend him, duck the questions, or demand answers. Michigan voters deserve the last option — plain answers, not polished talking points.
