Abdul El-Sayed Tells ‘The View’ That Midterm Results Don’t Indicate a ‘Mandate’ for Democrats

Michigan senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed was one of the many key victors for Democrats in Tuesday night’s midterm elections, which saw the party take control of both the House and the Senate. But, even with so many states flipping blue, he doesn’t necessarily believe that means Democrats have a “mandate” from voters.El-Sayed stopped by “The View” on Thursday morning to discuss his win and the plans he has once he gets into office. During the interview, host Joy Behar noted that Republicans nationwide are trying to figure out why the night went as it did — pointing to factors like the war in Iran, tariffs and more — and asked what El-Sayed himself would attribute it to. “You know Joy, I wish I could say, ‘Well, the Democrats have a mandate because people love Democrats,’ but I don’t,” he said. “People are sick and tired of being sick and tired. People are tired of going to work every day, taking on extra shifts, and then not being able to afford the things that they need and deserve.” The senator-elect pointed to an interaction he had with one man, who mourned not being able to pay for his son to join a baseball team. That, El-Sayed argued, is a true “lost American dream.” The senator-elect also mourned how politics has been turned into “a spectator sport.” “The decisions we make have life and death consequences, and we need to start acting like it,” he said. “So I think we won because people are tired of a president who is a joker, who took us to a war he can’t seem to end, who’s more interested in the drapes in a ballroom than he is interested in our lives, whether or not we can even afford a home with another room.” “So I want Democrats to step back and say, ‘Look, it is not about us prancing around like we got a mandate. It is about us delivering for the American public to make life more affordable, to make sure that folks understand where they’re going to get their next meal, that they got dignity at work, and that they can see a doctor when they get sick.’ Nothing short of that is going to be worth it.” “The View” airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.