Obama rallies for El-Sayed in tight Michigan Senate race

Barack Obama urged Detroit voters on Saturday to elect Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, bringing his influence to a close Michigan race in which support from the city’s Black voters could prove decisive.

“We’re clear about the choice in this election,” the former president told the crowd. “Abdul is fighting for change, real change,” he said, calling for money to be taken out of politics and for affordable health care to be guaranteed to every American. “What is radical about that?”

The rally at Cass Technical High School came on the first day of early voting in Michigan, The Guardian reported. The general election is Nov. 3. Obama also campaigned for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson and other candidates after appearing earlier Saturday in Cleveland.

El-Sayed faces former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers. Polls show a close contest: A mid-October Marist survey put El-Sayed at 50% and Rogers at 48%, within the margin of error, according to The Guardian. NBC News reported that a YouGov survey found El-Sayed leading Rogers among Black likely voters, 84% to 11%, while a late-September Fox News poll measured Rogers’ Black support at 22%.

Detroit, where roughly three-quarters of residents are Black, poses a particular challenge for El-Sayed. He lost Wayne County to Rep. Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary by about 51% to 45%, The Guardian reported. Former Vice President Kamala Harris, among other prominent Black Democrats, has since backed him, according to NBC News.

Obama criticized President Donald Trump over the Iran war and tariffs, saying both had hit Michigan especially hard. He also mocked Trump’s White House renovations: “He should be on HGTV.” El-Sayed, speaking before Obama, said Rogers was set to appear with Trump on Sunday and argued that Trump’s tariffs were costing autoworkers their livelihoods.

Their appearance together also addressed differences between Obama and El-Sayed, who has criticized the former president for falling short of the change he promised. Obama acknowledged that they would not “agree on every detail of every issue,” but said they shared a commitment to giving everyone “a fair shot in this society.” El-Sayed has said Obama helped create the opportunity for him to run for office.

Some Detroit Democrats remain unconvinced. City Council member Mary Waters, who backed Stevens in the primary, told NBC News she had not committed to either Senate candidate and expressed warmth toward Rogers. She said tensions between the city’s Black and Arab American communities could affect El-Sayed’s support. “I don’t think that President Obama himself even understands the racial divides, the class divides, in the city,” Waters said.

Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist offered a different assessment, telling NBC News that Obama’s voice carries particular weight with Black Americans and could help mobilize voters. Republicans, meanwhile, criticized the rally and portrayed El-Sayed as an extremist. Trump is due to campaign for Michigan Republicans in Port Huron on Sunday, The Guardian reported.