El-Sayed and Rogers hold final rallies as Michigan Senate race tightens

On the eve of the U.S. midterm elections, Michigan’s U.S. Senate contest entered its final day with candidates Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers holding separate rallies. Rogers addressed a crowd in Rochester Hills, framing the race as a fight for the "heart and soul of the country" and urging supporters to "fight for freedom tomorrow."

In Detroit, El-Sayed spoke to members of the United Auto Workers, emphasizing his cost-of-living agenda and criticizing attacks on his faith. He said, "> They don’t want to talk about gas and groceries. They want to talk about me and my name and my faith."

President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly questioned El-Sayed’s background, called the candidate "Abdul Ramadan" and warned that he would "invite hordes of jihadis" to the United States. El-Sayed responded, "> I don’t even care if [Trump] knows what my name is. Because after tomorrow, we’re gonna make sure he calls me senator."

Former Democratic Representative Haley Stevens, who lost to El-Sayed in the primary, announced on social media that she would support Rogers, citing an unaffiliated advertisement linking U.S. support for Israel to rising grocery prices and her feeling "shut out" of the campaign. She wrote, "> Mike Rogers and I disagree on many things. But Michigan has to elect a senator and there is no neutral choice that absolves me of responsibility."

Rogers thanked Stevens for her endorsement, describing it as "a special kind of courage," and the rally crowd responded with chants of "Haley!" A New York Times-Siena poll released on Sunday showed El-Sayed leading Rogers by 11 points among likely voters, 53 percent to 42 percent, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.