Socialism’s war on success has a new champion — and he’s running for Senate in Michigan

The summer’s collective uplift from our nation’s 250th birthday and the United States’ role in co-hosting the World Cup has collided with the ominous spread of socialism among the American left. The dangerous philosophy is no longer confined to Ivy League faculty lounges or deep-blue enclaves of New York City, either. In next month’s primary in my home state of Michigan — a critical national battleground — Democrats could nominate Abdul El-Sayed for the U.S. Senate.

El-Sayed may try to distance himself from the “socialist” label and his long-standing ties to the Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA, but his platform speaks for itself. For starters, he not only boasts the support of prominent socialists Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., but has also recently campaigned with them in Michigan. Furthermore, he has gone out of his way to link himself to self-described democratic socialist and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Last summer, his campaign even ran ads declaring, “Zohran won. Abdul is next.”

Like the private jet-flying, multiple-home-owning Sanders, El-Sayed is a hypocrite. He has demonized high earners while earning an income in 2025 that puts him squarely in the top 1%. He has also advocated for “Medicare for All” and railed against employer health plans while his wife allegedly operates a medical practice that appears not to accept Medicare or any insurance at all.

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But perhaps most troubling is the radical economic agenda El-Sayed seeks to bring to Washington. One staple of his stump speech is his criticism of “corporate oligopoly” and his demand for a “muscular” Federal Trade Commission, or FTC. On that front, El-Sayed’s campaign draws directly from the anti-business orthodoxy pushed by Lina Khan, former chair of the FTC under President Joe Biden and current chair of the board of the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

Under Khan’s watch, sweeping federal investigations and punitive lawsuits became standard operating procedure, sending a chill through innovators and entrepreneurs nationwide. Her time leading the once-bipartisan agency was mired in hostility toward enterprise, job losses and internal agency mismanagement. By echoing Khan’s rhetoric, El-Sayed is not just pandering to the far left but also preparing to execute her ideas in the Senate. Their shared worldview appears to treat success as suspect and the federal government as a weapon to punish companies for innovating, competing and winning in the marketplace.

Unfortunately, key pillars of this agenda are already surfacing. Take the recently revived American Innovation and Choice Online Act, or AICOA. Having failed to advance in previous Congresses, it’s back this summer as living proof of an anti-business and anti-growth philosophy.

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Among other harmful provisions, the bill establishes a financial threshold above which tech companies would be subject to punitive, European-style regulations. Should the legislation become law, federal regulators will have sweeping authority to single out and penalize American companies for being successful innovators.

If elected, it’s a good bet El-Sayed won’t just support this regulatory overreach; he will champion its expansion, putting Michigan’s job creators and critical industries in the crosshairs.

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For my friends on the right who are watching the rise of socialism with glee and viewing it as a glide path to victory in the general election, think again. In a challenging midterm political environment, anything can happen. To win public support, we need to do more than just paint our opponents as extremists.

We must, as Ronald Reagan said, put forward our own bold colors and not pale pastels. We must be clear about how and why free markets provide opportunities, especially for younger audiences who are already nervous about their future amid the rise of artificial intelligence. History shows us that innovation leads to more jobs and opportunities. But that can’t happen if we cede leadership to China out of fear of the unknown or surrender the economic argument to the likes of Mamdani, Khan and El-Sayed, who will replace optimism with fear tactics.

That means articulating a clear, affirmative vision for economic growth: cutting burdensome regulations that stifle investment and hurt startups, defending free-market competition, and ensuring that American enterprise remains the envy of the world.