A Michigan county reportedly paid progressive Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed $9,000 per month in consulting fees after he officially announced he was running.

Wayne County’s Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services approved a contract with El-Sayed on April 23, 2025 — six days after he launched his Senate campaign — according to public records obtained by The Washington Free Beacon.

El-Sayed previously headed the department for two years before resigning April 3, 2025.

Under the consulting agreement, he was eligible to receive as much as $72,000 through the end of 2025 for providing strategic assistance during the department’s leadership transition.

The contract called for El-Sayed to receive $9,000 monthly for 30 hours of work, equivalent to about $300 an hour, the Free Beacon reported.

Wayne County is led by Democrat County Executive Warren Evans.

El-Sayed’s financial disclosure confirmed he received $72,000 in consulting fees from Wayne County, according to The Detroit News.

Payments went through AME Higher LLC, a company El-Sayed used for consulting and speaking income.

His disclosure covering 2025 and the first seven months of 2026 showed he paid himself a $64,000 salary and took another $103,000 as a member draw from the company, the Free Beacon reported.

El-Sayed spokeswoman Roxie Richner defended the candidate’s record while turning attention to Republican opponent Mike Rogers.

“While Abdul was improving services and making government more efficient for Michigan taxpayers, Mike Rogers was spinning through the revolving door, cashing checks from the same industries he used to regulate in Congress,” Richner told the Free Beacon.

El-Sayed also disclosed $82,000 in consulting income from Illinois-based One Health Management, according to The Detroit News.

He described that work as advising on nonprofit healthcare strategy, operations, and quality improvement.

The consulting revelations come as El-Sayed and Rogers battle for Michigan’s open Senate seat.

El-Sayed won the Democratic nomination in August and Rogers secured the Republican nomination.

The race remains highly competitive.

A Washington Post-Schar School poll conducted in September showed El-Sayed at 48% and Rogers at 45% among likely voters, a difference within the survey’s 3.9-percentage-point margin of error.

El-Sayed has campaigned as a progressive, promoting Medicare for All, higher taxes on wealthy Americans, and restrictions on corporate influence in politics.