Obama rallies in Detroit for Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in a fight over health care and economic justice
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Former President Barack Obama appeared at a Detroit rally for Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, framing the race as a test of whether voters want real change on health care, wages, and the power of money in politics as Election Day approaches.
Former President Barack Obama addressed a crowd in Detroit on Saturday, urging voters to back Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. Obama centered his remarks on expanding health-care coverage, raising wages, and weakening the grip of money on politics.
“We’re clear about the choice in this election,” Obama said. “Abdul is fighting for change, real change, change that will bring an end to this war. Change that will get money out of politics and put money in your pocket. Change that will finish the job we started with the Affordable Care Act and guarantee quality, affordable health-care to every single American.” He also took aim at President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, saying they had failed to deliver on their promises and had pushed policies on the Iran conflict and tariffs that hurt Michigan workers and families. The rally came less than two weeks before Election Day and followed a similar appearance by Obama in Cleveland. Local officials, including gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson, joined the event. Polling data cited by the campaign shows El-Sayed leading Republican nominee Mike Rogers among Black voters, with a YouGov survey indicating an 84% share for El-Sayed. A separate Fox News poll reported Rogers receiving 22% of the Black vote. Detroit voters at an early-voting site said they supported El-Sayed because they were worried about the economy and wanted more accountability in Washington. City Council member Mary Waters, who supported a different Democratic candidate in the primary, said she was undecided but pointed to existing tensions between Arab American and Black communities in Detroit. El-Sayed acknowledged those tensions in a recent interview, saying that past campaign spending had strained his relationship with Black voters. “Most of that spending was intended to break my relationship with the Black community,” he said. He also reflected on his political lineage, comparing his relationship to Obama’s to that of a child and parent, and thanked Obama for the opportunities created by his administration. Obama concluded by repeating his shared values with El-Sayed on health care, living wages, and affordable housing, stressing the need for a fair economic system that works for all citizens.