WASHINGTON — Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed has endorsed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for president, citing the senator’s advocacy for universal health care.

Sanders rallied for El-Sayed during the final days of his bid for the Democratic nominee in Michigan’s 2018 gubernatorial race. El-Sayed has since been seen at Sanders’ campaign stops in Michigan in 2019.

“I’m honored to receive the endorsement of Abdul El-Sayed,” Sanders said in a release. “He knows we need a Medicare for All, single-payer system and a government that represents all the people – not just the insurance companies and drug companies. We will together finish what we started in 2016 and transform our country so it works for all of us.”

El-Sayed, the former health director of Detroit frequently advocates for Medicare for All, Sanders’ signature policy.

“Our political and economic system is robbing them of it—and Bernie has been fighting that system for decades,” El-Sayed said. “Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, Free College, No corporate money in politics — we’re talking about these things because Bernie put them on our collective conscious. Now it’s time to put him in the Oval Office. That’s why I’m proud to endorse him for President.”

It’s not clear if El-Sayed will run for office again. Since his run for governor, he started a podcast focused on American health issues called “America Dissected.” El-Sayed also wrote an upcoming book called “Healing Politics.”