Detroit's Public Health Director is running for Governor in 2018.
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed made his announcement after resigning from his health position on Monday. The 32 year-old former Rhodes scholar hopes to center his campaign around inclusion and equality in Michigan communities.
"I am a public health doctor, an educator, and a public servant," El -Sayed said, "The critical values underlying all of that work are that we care about the well-being of the most vulnerable, that we believe in equity as an end unto itself, and that we believe in evidence and science as a smart way of making hard decisions as a society."
El-Sayed also wants to focus on improving the public sector, an area he feels has routinely failed to provide the people of Michigan with the services they need.
"The Government is not a business," he said, "It is responsible for providing fundamental services like public health, like public education, and it is failing to do that."
He has spent a large portion of his career in areas of the public sector he believes need significant improvement. While he has no significant legislative background, he says the reconstruction and expansion of the Detroit city health system shows he can handle executive oversight positions in government.
He plans to spend the next few weeks ensuring a smooth transition in his former position before outlining concrete campaign goals and policy initiatives.
Copyright 2017 Michigan Radio
