Dem Michigan sen candidate Abdul El-Sayed says tax forms are ‘complicated,’ requests to delay financial disclosures until after primary

El-Sayed has been under fire from his Democratic primary opponent, Representative Haley Stevens, after he requested an extension to file his 2026 financial disclosures until after the Senate primary. Stevens has argued that voters should have access to the information in the disclosure before choosing a candidate.

Speaking with journalist Mehdi Hasan, El-Sayed dismissed the criticism, saying the delay stemmed from complicated tax documents.

“My wife and her family own property abroad, so getting all those tax forms is a thing,” he said.

He also responded to criticism by Stevens of him being a millionaire, saying, “Well, if, if you take my assets and her, my, my wife's assets together, then I guess they add up to something like that.”

https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/2074905102926700854?s=20

The Democratic primary between El-Sayed and Stevens has become one of the most closely watched Senate contests in the 2026 midterms. El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, is seeking to become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. His campaign has earned support from the Democratic Party’s far-left wing, including an endorsement from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“We are proud to endorse Abdul El-Sayed to be Michigan’s next senator,” Team AOC posted on social media. “Abdul is building a winning coalition by putting forward an agenda that speaks directly to working people.”

Stevens has argued that El-Sayed would be a weaker candidate in the general election because of his progressive politics. She has also claimed that the GOP is “spending thousands of dollars to prop up (El-Sayed’s) campaign, because they think it will make it easier for Mike Rogers to win.”

The Michigan Democratic Senate primary is scheduled for August 4.