El-Sayed’s scathing Obama critique resurfaces ahead of joint campaign rally

Abdul El-Sayed once accused President Barack Obama of failing to deliver on the progressive campaign promises that he outlined in the 2008 presidential campaign, calling his election to a second term a kind of compromise for progressives.

"I realize that I have little hope because there has been less change," El-Sayed wrote in a 2012 op-ed for HuffPost.

"But 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."

The resurfaced comments, published just days after the 2012 presidential election, complicate the political picture for El-Sayed as he prepares to campaign with Obama later this month. The comments also raise questions about what El-Sayed’s ideals for the Democratic Party would have looked like in 2012, highlighting his past satisfaction with one of the Democratic Party's most prominent figures.

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Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan, speaks during a primary election night event Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, at the Majestic Theatre in Detroit. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)

In particular, El-Sayed’s 2013 op-ed criticized Obama’s international record and strikes on Pakistan and Yemen, an underperforming economy and, in his view, little to no change in being accepted as a Muslim American.

"I feel no more dignified, no more accepted as cops throughout the country have usurped my right to walk the streets freely without fearing unjustified interference. Inequality has accelerated and the divide between the haves and have-nots in our country has never been starker," El-Sayed wrote.

"At home our economy continues to stagnate; its victims are so many of my peers who had also invested in ‘hope and change’ four years ago, who cannot find meaningful work."

Notably, he did confirm that he had voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012.

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Former President Barack Obama speaks during the dedication ceremony for the opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center, in John Lewis Plaza, on June 18, 2026, in Chicago, Ill. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

He also asserted that Obama’s record, as disappointing as it had seemed to him, was still better than the outlook of the failed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Even so, El-Sayed said Obama fell short of the ideal he, as a progressive, would have chosen for the country.

"We really like the idea of Obama … let’s be clear, for progressives who care about peace, prosperity, civil liberties and the future of our country, Obama’ reelection last night was no victory. It was the rock we chose over the hard place," El-Sayed wrote.

In recent months, as El-Sayed waged his Senate campaign in Michigan, Obama did not endorse the progressive, staying out of a primary between him and Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich.

Like Obama and other Democrats, El-Sayed has championed the growth of government as a way to address the country’s top issues. In addition to calling for lowering housing costs, he’s advocated for Medicare for all, opposes corporate tax carve-outs, and supports tuition-free access to higher education.

Obama has still not issued an official endorsement even though he is slated to take the stage alongside El-Sayed on Oct. 24 for a rally with other Michigan Democrats.

The former president highlighted the event in a post to social media on Monday.

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Abdul El-Sayed holds a news conference after winning the Democratic Senate nomination in Michigan, on August 5, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan (Rich Edson/Fox News)

"Looking forward to being in Detroit on 10/24 to campaign for Jocelyn Benson, Abdul El-Sayed and Democrats up and down the ballot in Michigan," Obama wrote, referring to the Democratic candidate for governor in the Wolverine State.

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Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to an inquiry on the 2012 op-ed and his current-day views on Obama’s legacy.