Abdul El-Sayed’s criticism of Barack Obama, whom he supported enthusiastically in 2008, resurfaced recently as details emerged about an upcoming rally between the two. In a 2012 HuffPost article, El-Sayed expressed disappointment with Obama's policies, citing issues like civil liberties violations and deportation numbers. This criticism continued during his gubernatorial campaign in 2017 and again in January 2020 when he warned Democrats against repeating past mistakes under Obama’s presidency. However, ahead of the event, El-Sayed praised Obama for changing what was possible for Americans with backgrounds similar to his own while acknowledging that much work remains.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Abdul El-Sayed, a Michigan politician running for office, has recently faced scrutiny over past criticism he made about President Barack Obama. In 2012, shortly after Obama's re-election victory, El-Sayed wrote an op-ed in HuffPost where he stated that while Obama was not the "wrong choice," he also wasn't the "right choice." The article criticized Obama for perpetuating war, violating civil liberties, and having more deportations than any previous president. However, during his 2018 campaign trail, El-Sayed expressed excitement about Obama's 2008 victory, saying it was the first time he felt represented in politics. This recent contradiction has drawn attention ahead of an upcoming rally where El-Sayed is set to speak alongside Obama.
Written for “Abdul El Sayed Endorsing Obama” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.45, but 4 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 1 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 65841: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-08
“I have to say now what I’ve been holding in throughout his campaign, and what I think all of us have to admit: Obama was not the right choice — he just wasn’t the wrong one,” El-Sayed wrote in a 2012 HuffPost piece right after Obama’s re-election victory.
asserted
Sayed → have → victory
“This leader has perpetuated war, violated our civil liberties, deported more people from our shores than any other president before him, and the list of his failures goes on.”
asserted
list → perpetuate → failures
On the campaign trail, El-Sayed has recounted the excitement he felt when Obama won the presidency in 2008.
asserted
Obama → recount → 2008
“In 2008, a guy named Barack Hussein Obama runs for and wins the presidency.
asserted
guy → name → presidency
I got to be honest with you all, it’s the first time I ever saw myself reflected in politics at all,” El-Sayed, 41, said at an August rally.
asserted
Sayed → got → rally
But in the 2012 op-ed, El-Sayed repudiated his feelings of four years earlier.
asserted
Sayed → repudiate → feelings
“The jubilation of his 2008 election will forever live with me,” he wrote.
asserted
he → live → me
“But for me, that memory will serve not as a reminder of the history we made that night — but of the silly emotions of a naïve young man who didn’t understand that hope and change required more than flowery prose and a winning smile.”
asserted
hope → serve → prose
The future candidate went on to assert that the US was not “better off” under Obama and trashed the 44th president’s signature Affordable Care Act as “watered-down reform that kowtows to the interests of healthcare lobbies.”
asserted
that → go → lobbies
El-Sayed’s critiques of Obama continued even after the first black president left office, according to a chronology by CNN.
uncertain
president → continue → CNN
During his unsuccessful Michigan gubernatorial bid in 2017, El-Sayed gave an interview with Vox in which he attacked Obama for his “fairly centrist, middle-of-the-road Democratic policies.”
asserted
he → give → policies
The resulting piece was titled “Don’t Call This Man ‘The Next Obama.”
asserted
piece → result → Man
Three years later, in January 2020, El-Sayed warned Democrats at a University of Chicago Institute of Politics panel against repeating “the same mistakes of the past eight years under Barack Obama.”
asserted
Sayed → warn → Obama
“We are not, as a country, better off eight years after Obama was elected in 2008 than we were when he was elected.
asserted
he → elect → 2008
And I say this as somebody who loves him deeply,” he said.
asserted
he → say → him
“I appreciate the fact that we don’t give him credit for what he did for the economy in the short term.
asserted
he → appreciate → term
But the structure of the economy did not change under Barack Obama,” added El-Sayed, arguing the Democrat’s shortcomings set the stage for President Trump’s rise.
asserted
shortcomings → change → rise
“At 24, I watched President Obama win in 2008,” El-Sayed told CNN in a statement.
asserted
Sayed → watch → statement
“He changed what was possible for someone like me, with a name like mine.
asserted
what → change → mine
Despite being dealt one of the toughest hands of any American president—he handled it.
asserted
he → deal → it
“And despite all he did, there remains so much left to do.
asserted
he → do → all
That’s where the next generation, inspired by him and his leadership, picks up.
asserted
generation → ’ → him
We stand on the shoulders of giants—and I can’t wait to tell him myself later this month.”
asserted
I → stand → him
El-Sayed is locked in a tight race against Republican former congressman Mike Rogers and has been criticized by both Jewish and black groups for his near-obsessive focus on the Middle East and Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
asserted
Sayed → lock → Strip
El-Sayed’s campaign and representatives for Obama did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
asserted
campaign → respond → comment
The pair are scheduled to appear together and alongside other Michigan Democratic candidates Oct. 24 in Detroit.
asserted
pair → schedule → Detroit
The Aporia
