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DETROIT — Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, today affirmed his support for the Armenian cause and for Michigan’s Armenian-American community — one of the oldest and largest in the nation.
“I’m honored to have the support of the Armenian National Committee of America in this fight,” said Dr. El-Sayed. “Armenian Michiganders are a treasured part of our great state, and they understand better than anyone what’s at risk in this election. The Trump administration’s blank check for military aid to Azerbaijan in the face of ongoing atrocities is a blatant violation of international law. As Michigan’s next Senator, I will stand up for the peace, dignity, security, and self-determination of the Armenian people—and all people—and for international law.”
Michigan’s Armenian-American community traces its roots to the turn of the twentieth century and is anchored today by St. John Armenian Apostolic Church in Southfield and the St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church in Dearborn.
For more than a decade, that community has had a champion in Senator Gary Peters, who authored the Armenian Protection Act, pressed for enforcement of Section 907, and traveled to the Lachin Corridor during Azerbaijan’s blockade. Peters is retiring. This race will determine whether Michigan Armenians keep a voice of that caliber in the United States Senate.
El-Sayed, a Rochester Hills native who grew up with Armenian-American schoolteachers, is a physician and public health scholar who led the Detroit Health Department and Wayne County’s Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services. He has engaged directly with ANCA and with Michigan’s Armenian-American community throughout the campaign.
The Michigan Senate contest is one of the most consequential races in the country for Armenian Americans. El-Sayed’s statement places enforcement of international law, an end to blank-check military aid to Baku, and the security and self-determination of the Armenian people at the center of his Senate agenda.
