Obama campaigns in Detroit for Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed as Democrats push their usual big-government message
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Former President Barack Obama appeared in Detroit to boost Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, stressing more government involvement in health care, wages, and housing while attacking President Donald Trump and Republicans less than two weeks before Election Day.
Former President Barack Obama addressed a crowd in Detroit on Saturday, urging voters to back Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. Obama leaned heavily on the usual progressive talking points, focusing on expanding health-care coverage, raising wages, and reducing the influence of money in 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 attacked President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, accusing them of failing to deliver on campaign promises and blaming them for policies on the Iran conflict and tariffs that have affected Michigan. 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 expressed support for El-Sayed, citing concerns about the economy and a desire for greater accountability in Washington. City Council member Mary Waters, who backed a different Democratic candidate in the primary, said she was undecided but noted existing tensions between Arab American and Black communities in Detroit. El-Sayed acknowledged those tensions in a recent interview, noting 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 reiterating shared values with El-Sayed on health care, living wages, and affordable housing, emphasizing the importance of a fair economic system for all citizens.