A group of Michigan doctors is pushing back against Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers and Fox News host Sean Hannity, who have claimed that Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed is not a real physician because he does not practice medicine in the state. In a letter released Tuesday, more than 1,000 medical professionals—including 700 physicians—defended El-Sayed, who earned his medical degree from Columbia University and later served as Detroit's health officer.
The letter argues that El-Sayed chose public health as a deliberate extension of medicine, not a departure from it. "He chose public health; not because it was the easier path, but because it multiplies what a doctor can do," the signatories wrote. They highlighted his work rebuilding Detroit's health department and leading the city's response to public health emergencies, calling it "medicine, practiced at scale." The letter did not include full names of signatories for privacy and safety reasons.
Rogers had said during a debate that if El-Sayed tried to treat a patient, "he'd go to jail," and Hannity repeated similar claims at a town hall. El-Sayed's campaign points to the American Medical Association's definition of a physician, which includes anyone who has received a Doctor of Medicine degree from an accredited school. The doctors' letter also endorsed El-Sayed's healthcare agenda, including lowering drug prices, addressing hospital consolidation, and protecting Medicaid and Medicare.
The dispute centers on what it means to be a physician in practice versus in credential. The doctors' letter treats public health leadership as a legitimate medical career, while El-Sayed's opponents define the role narrowly around direct patient care. The source does not include any response from Rogers or Hannity to the letter. The election is for Michigan's U.S. Senate seat.