POLICY WIRE FACT CHECK: Republican Ads Distort El-Sayed’s Past Policy Positions on Policing and Prisons
The Claim A series of political advertisements currently airing in Michigan, funded by Republican-aligned groups including the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the SLF PAC, and the No...
The Claim
A series of political advertisements currently airing in Michigan, funded by Republican-aligned groups including the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the SLF PAC, and the No Going Back PAC, have launched a coordinated attack against Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. The ads allege that El-Sayed supports “defunding the police,” advocates for “abolishing prisons,” and maintains a “plan” to commute the sentences of violent criminals, including murderers and rapists.
These claims, which have circulated widely across television and digital platforms, rely on spliced audio clips and references to policy proposals from El-Sayed’s unsuccessful 2018 gubernatorial campaign. The ads characterize the candidate as a threat to public safety, asserting that his past rhetoric serves as a blueprint for his current legislative agenda.
The Details & Investigation
Our investigation into these claims reveals a pattern of deliberate decontextualization, which qualifies as DISINFORMATION. While the ads utilize authentic audio snippets, they systematically strip away the nuance of El-Sayed’s original statements to create a false narrative regarding his current platform. For instance, the claim that El-Sayed supports “defunding the police” ignores his 2026 campaign stance, which explicitly calls for increased investment in law enforcement recruitment, retention, and retirement. His 2020 comments, which the ads highlight, were framed as a call to reallocate resources toward public health and social services—a position he has since clarified as being distinct from the “defund” movement.
Furthermore, the assertion that El-Sayed intends to abolish prisons is a fabrication. The audio clip used to support this claim was taken from a 2020 webinar regarding COVID-19 safety protocols in correctional facilities. In that context, El-Sayed was discussing the necessity of decarceration for vulnerable populations during a global health crisis, not advocating for the total elimination of the prison system. By presenting a pandemic-era public health recommendation as a permanent policy goal, the ads engage in deceptive manipulation of the public record.
The claim regarding a “plan” to release violent criminals is similarly misleading. The ads cite a 2018 gubernatorial policy document that proposed reviewing sentences for individuals convicted as minors who were deemed low-risk. This proposal was specific to his 2018 campaign and is not part of his 2026 Senate platform. El-Sayed has explicitly stated during recent town halls that he supports holding violent offenders accountable. By conflating outdated, localized gubernatorial proposals with his current federal candidacy, the PACs are engaging in a coordinated effort to misrepresent his legislative priorities.
Finally, it is essential to note the jurisdictional reality: the vast majority of policing and prison management in the United States is handled at the state and local levels. The federal government, including the U.S. Senate, has limited direct authority over these systems. The ads fail to acknowledge this, instead framing El-Sayed’s past commentary as a direct threat to local safety, which serves to amplify fear rather than inform the electorate on actual federal policy capabilities.
The Verdict
The claims made in the Republican-aligned ads are FALSE and MISLEADING. While the ads utilize isolated, authentic audio clips, they systematically omit critical context and misrepresent the candidate’s current policy positions. By presenting 2018 gubernatorial proposals and 2020 pandemic-era commentary as current 2026 Senate platform planks, these advertisements constitute a coordinated disinformation campaign designed to deceive voters about El-Sayed’s stance on public safety and criminal justice.
Counter-misinformation & disinformation investigation conducted by PolicyWire Editorial Desk (PW).
