The Metro: How this Democratic Socialist plans to govern Ann Arbor
Sam Corey, The Metro August 20, 2026Yousef Rabhi spoke with host Robyn Vincent about why he ran for Ann Arbor’s mayor, and how he wants to govern the city as a self-declared outsider.
Democratic socialist Yousef Rabhi is running for mayor in Ann Arbor.
In November, Ann Arbor voters will decide whether their city should build its own electric utility and stop buying power from DTE. A group funded by DTE is suing to stop the vote.
The man likely to be Ann Arbor’s next mayor wants the city to take over.
Yousef Rabhi is a Democratic Socialist. He beat 12-year incumbent Chris Taylor by 10 points — over the endorsements of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin — in a primary that was part of a bigger progressive wave.
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won the U.S. Senate nomination. State Rep. Donavan McKinney beat a sitting congressman. Abbas Alawieh will likely be the first Arab American in the Michigan Senate.
Rabhi is a sitting Washtenaw County commissioner who spent six years in the state House. He spoke with host Robyn Vincent about why he ran for mayor, and how he wants to govern the city as a self-declared outsider.
Hear the full conversation using the media player above.
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Authors
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Sam Corey is a producer for 101.9 WDET, which includes finding and preparing interesting stories for the daily news, arts and culture program, The Metro. Sam joined WDET after a year and a half at The Union, a small newspaper in California, and stints at a variety of local Michigan outlets, including WUOM and the Metro Times. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago. -

