Stateside's interview with Abdul El-Sayed, runner-up in Michigan's Democratic gubernatorial primary.

It's been 534 days since Abdul El-Sayed announced his candidacy for the governor of Michigan. It's been nearly a week since he finished second in the primary to Gretchen Whitmer.

As a candidate, El-Sayed rallied many younger, progressive voters with his promise to establish a single-payer healthcare system, and his refusal to take corporate money in an effort to keep dark money out of politics, among others.

He joined Stateside for an exclusive interview to talk about the future of the Democratic party and what work needs to be done in Michigan.

"I remember having a conversation with a gentleman, he said, 'You know, I've heard about you. I don't think you and I agree on much, but you seem like a really nice guy, and I wanted to wish you luck — person to person.' And so that ability, I think, to transcend our differences in geography or in demography is going to be the future of our state," El-Sayed said. "And we've got to figure out how to make sure we're sharing the coherent conversation about our collective Michigan."

Listen above to hear El-Sayed speak about inclusivity in the Democratic party, how he hopes to help Gretchen Whitmer with her campaign for governor, and why he's proud of the campaign he ran.

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