Salary Disparities Under Scrutiny
As Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed observes Black Women's Equal Pay Day this week, records reveal his salary as Wayne County health director far exceeded that of his predecessors and successors, both Black women. El-Sayed, a Democrat, stated on social media that "black women have to work an extra 7 months to earn what white men earn in a year," citing data from the Economic Policy Institute. "Equal work deserves equal pay," he wrote, using the hashtag "BlackWomensEqualPayDay."
El-Sayed was hired as director of Wayne County's Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services in March 2023 at $200,000 annually, later disclosing $278,939 in total compensation by June 2025, according to financial records. His successor, Kennyle Johnson, a Black woman and former chief of staff, was hired at $180,000 in November 2025. Predecessor Melita Jordan, also Black, started at the same salary in May 2021 during the pandemic's peak.
Political Fallout in Key Democratic Primary
El-Sayed's pay history has drawn fresh attention as he struggles to gain traction among Black voters, a crucial demographic in Michigan's Democratic primary. A recent poll shows Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) leading El-Sayed by 46 points with Black voters. The Congressional Black Caucus and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) have endorsed Stevens, while El-Sayed relies on support from Michigan's Arab-American community and progressive figures like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
El-Sayed has faced allegations of misogynistic rhetoric, including calling Stevens "unable to string together two coherent sentences" before urging supporters to cease personal attacks. In 2019, eight former colleagues at a New York City medical school alleged in a lawsuit that El-Sayed refused to work with "anyone over 40," according to the Washington Free Beacon. Neither El-Sayed's campaign nor the Wayne County Health Department responded to requests for comment.