El-Sayed courts young male voters with podcasts and bench presses in Michigan Senate bid

Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive who won a swing-state primary, is using podcasts and weightlifting imagery to court young male voters ahead of his Nov. 3 race against Republican Mike Rogers. El-Sayed appeared on "The Vic Mensa Show," performing bench press reps with the rapper, a strategy mirroring Donald Trump's 2024 podcast outreach to young men. The candidate, who faces questions about Black voter support, also joked about his Islamic faith when Mensa raised conspiracy theories. The former Wayne County health director is the only left-flank Democrat to win a competitive Senate primary this cycle. Trump has previously called El-Sayed a "terrorist sympathizer," and he recently disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood after a viral confrontation with a Republican aide.