A column published by PJ Media is taking aim at two figures conservatives are wrestling with in the final stretch of the 2026 midterms: Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who campaigns as "Doctor" despite never having been licensed to practice medicine, and Tucker Carlson, who is reportedly predicting El-Sayed will defeat Republican Mike Rogers.
The column, by Scott Pinsker, argues that voters — especially conservative voters — have spent three decades obsessing over what candidates believe instead of what they will actually do. "A candidate may believe a million different things, but he's only going to do a (very) small number of 'em," Pinsker writes."
The El-Sayed Record
Pinsker's lead example is El-Sayed, the former Wayne County health director and 2018 gubernatorial candidate now running for Senate. It compares the treatment of El-Sayed to that of Katie Zacharia, who briefly served as White House press secretary, noting the Republican was shamed by the media into resigning while "the Democrat was given a pass."
Pinsker also references reporting on El-Sayed's college-level medical research, writing that "news broke about 'Doctor' El-Sayed's college-level medical research" and teasing the topic without detailing it in the column. The column's core charge is not that El-Sayed holds left-wing beliefs — it is that his stated priorities, and the credentials he campaigns on, do not match the record.
Vance: 'A Crazy Person Like El-Sayed'
The Carlson angle entered the race through a TikTok post from CBS News, which shows a clip of Vice President JD Vance being asked about his relationship with Carlson and whether it is dividing Republicans. According to the post's caption, Vance dismissed the concern and instead attacked El-Sayed, saying he would rather see Republican Mike Rogers in the Senate than "a crazy person like El-Sayed" — whom Carlson reportedly is predicting will defeat Rogers.
The post is a TikTok video from the verified @cbsnews account; its caption reflects the outlet's framing of the exchange, not a full transcript. Carlson, a podcaster and former Fox News host, has not publicly confirmed the prediction attributed to him in that caption.
Vance's answer puts the administration's weight behind Rogers, the former congressman, in a race both parties are watching. It also declines to treat Carlson's influence as a problem, redirecting the question to the Democrat's liabilities.
Why It Matters
Michigan's Senate seat is one of the few genuine battlegrounds on the 2026 map, and the El-Sayed nomination has forced Republicans to litigate credentials and priorities rather than abstract ideology. Pinsker's argument is that this is how it should be: a candidate's professed beliefs are cheap, while the things he actually prioritizes — and the titles he claims — are testable.
For conservatives, the column poses an uncomfortable question about their own coalition. If Carlson is predicting a Democratic win in Michigan, and Vance is answering by endorsing Rogers, the disagreement is not really about beliefs. It is about which fights get prioritized — and what those priorities reveal about what each side actually stands for.
The El-Sayed campaign has not responded to the column's claims about his licensing history. Rogers' campaign has not commented on Carlson's reported prediction. The Senate race will be decided on November 3.
Our Take
Pinsker is right about the central point, and it is one conservatives have been slow to learn: a voting record beats a campaign brochure every time. El-Sayed has spent this race trading on a title he never earned, and the media that hounded a Republican press secretary out the door over a résumé issue has given him a pass. That double standard is not a belief — it is a priority, and it tells you exactly what the legacy press wants.
The Carlson kerfuffle is a distraction from the main event. Whether or not Carlson predicted an El-Sayed win, the question for Michigan voters is simple: do you want a senator who has actually done the job, or a candidate whose most impressive credential is a college transcript and a cable-news booking? Vance answered that question plainly. Rogers is the conservative in the race. El-Sayed is the "doctor" who never practiced. Patriots in Michigan should act accordingly — and every conservative voter elsewhere should ask their own candidate the same testable question: not what do you believe, but what will you actually do?
