Obama rallies Detroit voters ahead of Michigan midterms

Former President Barack Obama spoke to several thousand attendees at Cass Technical High School in Detroit on Oct. 24, urging voters to back Democratic candidates Jocelyn Benson for governor and Abdul El-Sayed for U.S. Senate. Obama described the upcoming midterms as a potential "course correction" for the country and told the audience that "change is in the air."

"When you have campaigned in as many elections as I have, I can tell you when an election comes along that just feels a little bit different," Obama said.

Democratic leaders expressed optimism about their chances. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell said she expected Benson to win and called the Senate race competitive.

"I'd rather be us than them," Dingell said. "And we've just got to do our work for the next 10 days."

Republican officials responded by highlighting their own candidates. RNC spokesman Hunter Lovell said Senate nominee Mike Rogers was building a coalition that would defeat El-Sayed and "save Michigan after a quarter century of failed Democrat rule."

The rally was attended by about 3,000 people in the gym and an additional 1,000 in an overflow theater. Attendees such as Tammy Hicks said they believed Democrats had a strong chance, citing high gas and grocery prices as key issues.

Obama also defended El-Sayed against recent Republican attacks, noting that disagreements on specific issues do not preclude shared values.

"We are not going to agree on every detail of every issue," Obama said.

Democratic campaign officials described the event as a sign of "extraordinary enthusiasm" and unity heading into the final days before the Nov. 3 election.