Abdul El-Sayed lost his race in 2018.
Posted by IHIP News, Checked
- Sources
- 5 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 95%
IHIP NewsAug 10, 2026
El-Sayed lost the 2018 Michigan Democratic gubernatorial primary to Gretchen Whitmer, finishing second with about 30% of the vote, per the NYT results and multiple other reports. The post's 'his race' refers to that 2018 primary, and the claim matches the passage's own statement that he ran and lost in 2018.
What was said
… What, how are you positioning yourself for, uh, if you, if you win and then he starts all this crap? Look, this is clearly a guy who, his ego can't handle losing. Look, I ran in 2018. I lost my race fair and square. You know what I did? I said, I've got to help the nominee win that race. I rolled up my sleeves, campaigned for Governor Whitmer, and it sucked. Losing sucks, but it's, it's part of what happens in life. …
IHIP News · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The New York Times 2018 primary results show Whitmer at 52.0% and El-Sayed at 30.2%, with El-Sayed second.[1]
Supports. Vox's August 2018 primary coverage describes El-Sayed's second-place finish in the Michigan Democratic governor's primary.[2]
Supports. AP's 2026 report says that in 2018 El-Sayed lost the gubernatorial primary to Gretchen Whitmer by 21 percentage points.[3]
Supports. Detroit News and BridgeDetroit reports from 2026 confirm that El-Sayed finished second to Whitmer in the 2018 gubernatorial primary.[4][5]
Context. The claim's wording matches the passage, which refers to his 2018 race and to Whitmer as the nominee he campaigned for after losing.
Sources
5 sources: 2 tier 2, 3 not rated
- 1Michigan Governor Primary Election Results - The New York Timesnytimes.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 24 winners and 3 losers from the August 7 primary and special electionsvox.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 3El-Sayed campaign says Stevens has called to concede in Michigan Senate primarywzzm13.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4Abdul El-Sayed scores historic win in Michigan U.S. Senate primarydetroitnews.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Who is Abdul El-Sayed? What to know about Michigan Democrats ...bridgedetroit.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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