Democratic Leaders Coalesce Behind Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Amid Trump Attacks
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Prominent Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and Senator Bernie Sanders, have publicly backed progressive Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Senate race as President Donald Trump intensifies personal attacks.
President Donald Trump has escalated personal attacks on Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for the Michigan U.S. Senate seat, labeling him a “jihadist” and invoking 9/11 at a rally in Port Huron. In response, senior Democrats have begun to rally publicly behind El-Sayed. Former President Barack Obama appeared with him in Detroit on the first day of early voting, and Senator Bernie Sanders joined El-Sayed at a rally in Grand Rapids. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also toured the state with the candidate earlier in the week.
El-Sayed, a former Detroit and Wayne County health official born to Egyptian immigrants, dismissed the attacks as a distraction, saying, "> He knows my name is Abdul. He says it every day," and accusing the president of using his faith to divert attention from issues such as gas prices, groceries and health care.
The candidate’s platform includes Medicare for All, eliminating corporate money from politics, taxing billionaires and corporations, abolishing ICE, and ending U.S. military aid to Israel while describing the war in Gaza as genocide. A Marist poll released last week showed El-Sayed leading Republican Mike Rogers 50% to 48% among likely voters, though he trails in ad spending.
While many Democratic leaders have expressed support, several have qualified their endorsements. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer endorsed El-Sayed but noted differing views on Israel, and former congressman Sander Levin cited “significant disagreement” on the same issue. Senator Cory Booker offered a non-committal response on CNN, and Representative Haley Stevens, who lost the August primary to El-Said by a narrow margin, said she was “on the team” but did not name him directly.
Republican efforts have intensified, with the National Republican Senatorial Committee running ads that use El-Sayed’s full name, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, and Rogers accusing him of anti-Jewish positions. The race, viewed as pivotal for control of the Senate, will be decided on Tuesday, with a potential historic outcome if El-Sayed becomes the first Muslim U.S. senator.