The American Association of University Professors announced its endorsement of Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary, representing what organization leaders characterize as the first national-level candidate endorsement in the group’s history. AAUP President Todd Wolfson reported that Michigan-based chapters requested the national organization consider the endorsement, leading to internal polling that showed approximately 80 percent of voting members supported making an endorsement, with roughly 97 percent specifically backing El-Sayed. The organization’s national council approved the decision and plans to host a virtual rally in support of the candidate.
The endorsement reflects the organization’s transformation from its traditional role as a neutral professional association focused on academic freedom and tenure protections into a left-leaning faculty union now affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers. Wolfson characterized the shift as necessary given what he described as threats to higher education emanating from government actions, including disruptions to federal research funding and what he claimed were politically motivated grant cuts. He stated that the AAUP must engage in active politics to defend the traditional faculty rights and freedoms that form its core mission, rejecting the notion that the organization should remain insulated from political engagement.
The move has drawn criticism from observers who argue the organization has compromised its historic neutrality and effectiveness. Law professor Jonathan Turley contended that the organization’s transformation into an advocacy group has eliminated an independent voice for all professors and contributed to an environment of orthodoxy within academia. However, Wolfson defended the decision by noting the AAUP operates as a democratic member organization reflecting the views of its 60,000 members and that unions, by their nature, are inherently political entities.
Beyond candidate endorsements, the organization has signaled expanded political engagement through other actions, including establishing a political action committee and planning to hire a political director. Wolfson indicated additional endorsements may follow before the midterm elections. Academic research on union endorsements suggests their electoral impact typically grows more significant in local contests, though their broader political activities, such as voter mobilization efforts, may carry weight across different election levels.
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