Photo: JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP / Getty Images
A Detroit-area voter is going viral for making one thing clear ahead of the 2026 midterm elections: She's more concerned about the cost of living than political labels.
Nicole Williams, a Metro Detroit hairdresser, delivered the blunt response during an interview with a BBC reporter about Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed.
Asked whether El-Sayed was "a bit too left-wing to win in Michigan," Williams dismissed concerns about his political ideology.
"At this point what do we have to worry about? Anything but what we have," Williams said in the viral clip.
"We're on our way to hell," she continued. "So at this point: socialist, socialize, social, don't matter to me, lower my cost of living!"
The exchange has circulated widely on social media as Michigan prepares for a closely watched Senate election on Tuesday (November 3).
El-Sayed, a former Detroit health director, defeated U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in August's Democratic primary. He now faces former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in the race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.
His campaign has emphasized issues including affordable health care, higher taxes on billionaires and reducing the influence of corporate money in politics.
But despite his progressive platform and endorsements from politicians including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, El-Sayed has repeatedly rejected the socialist label.
"Because I'm simply not a socialist," he said during a July interview with Jen Psaki on MS NOW.
He has also described himself as a capitalist who believes markets need government regulation to prevent monopolies and excessive corporate power.
The distinction matters as socialism becomes an increasingly prominent topic in American elections.
Broadly, socialism refers to economic systems emphasizing social or public ownership of major resources and industries. Democratic socialism seeks to advance socialist goals through democratic political processes. In the United States, politicians who identify as democratic socialists often advocate expanding public services, strengthening workers' rights and reducing economic inequality, though their proposals vary.
One of the movement's most prominent recent victories came in November 2025, when Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, was elected mayor of New York City.
Mamdani campaigned heavily on affordability, proposing policies including rent freezes for rent-stabilized apartments, fare-free buses and universal child care. He took office in January 2026.
Michigan has also seen progressive victories this year, including Donavan McKinney, a Democratic Socialists of America member who defeated incumbent Rep. Shri Thanedar in the August Democratic congressional primary.
Still, support for progressive economic policies does not necessarily mean a candidate identifies as a socialist.
For Williams, the distinction appeared to matter far less than whether elected officials could address the financial pressures facing everyday Americans.
Her viral response comes as Michigan voters prepare to decide not only who will represent them in the U.S. Senate but also who will succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
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