El-Sayed Michigan Senate Campaign Hit by Communications Director's Unearthed Racial Posts

Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed faces fresh campaign turbulence after Fox News Digital unearthed a series of racially charged social media posts from his communications director, Roxie Richner, dating to 2019 and 2020. Richner directed sustained criticism at White women across multiple posts on X, then called Twitter, calling them "policy failures" and accusing them of endangering Black lives during the unrest that followed George Floyd's death.

What Richner Posted

On May 26, 2020, the day after Floyd's death, Richner wrote that White women were "making shit up trying to get Black people killed" and accused them of failing to take action against police violence. In a separate post the same day, she wrote that "all white women are policy failures." During the height of the Minneapolis rioting on June 4, 2020, Richner mocked White residents of Ann Arbor who messaged her about looting, writing that she would "drop names" if they continued, and accusing them of "showing their racism." Following the November 2020 presidential election, Richner credited "POC youth" for carrying Democratic candidate Joe Biden's victory, adding that she was "very disappointed in white youth and white women." In 2019, she criticized White Americans who defended then-candidate Biden's comments she described as racist.

Campaign Already Under Pressure

Richner's posts add to a growing list of controversies surrounding El-Sayed's 2026 Senate run. The progressive Democrat, who ran unsuccessfully for Michigan governor in 2018, has defended his decision to campaign alongside social media influencer Hasan Piker — a figure who previously said "America deserved 9/11," declared his favorite flag belongs to Hezbollah, and drew equivalence between Hamas and Israel. El-Sayed's platform includes calls to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and establish universal healthcare, positions consistent with his 2018 gubernatorial platform.

Former Staffer Faces Federal Indictment

A separate legal matter compounds the campaign's exposure. Mariam Odeh, a former El-Sayed staffer, was indicted last week alongside seven others on charges of conspiracy to transmit threats in interstate and foreign commerce. Prosecutors allege the defendants made threats against University of Michigan officials, private businesses, and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit in connection with an effort to pressure the school to divest from Israeli-linked companies. The campaign said it was unaware of Odeh's alleged activities at the time she was hired.

Fox News Digital contacted El-Sayed's campaign for comment and did not receive a response. The unearthed posts and the Odeh indictment arrive as El-Sayed works to build a primary coalition in a Michigan Democratic race that already carries national attention.