Gretchen Whitmer Faces Abdul El-Sayed In Michigan Race

On the other hand, political newbie El-Sayed, who is vying to become the first Muslim governor in the history of the United States, has brought the big guns to the Wolverine State in recent days — packing up events with the likes of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and rising political star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Supporters have called the son of Egyptian immigrants “the new Obama.” El-Sayed has no previous political experience and didn’t vote in the 2016 presidential election, but by challenging Whitmer from the left, he is hoping to prove that a Democratic socialist platform can capture voters in the Midwest. His platform is very similar to that of Ocasio-Cortez, who toppled the fourth ranking Congressional Democrat earlier this summer: support for abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, also known as ICE; legalizing marijuana; implementing a single-payer health care system, i.e. “Medicare for All”; and increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour.

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