Obama backs El-Sayed in Detroit as Michigan Senate race remains close

The Michigan Senate race has entered a critical phase as early voting opened on Saturday, October 25, leading up to the general election on November 3. On this day, former President Barack Obama held a rally in Detroit to support Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for the seat.

Polls indicate a tight contest. A Marist poll of likely voters conducted in mid-October shows El-Sayed at 50 percent and Republican Mike Rogers at 48 percent, a difference within the margin of error. RealClearPolitics, which aggregates similar data from the same period, places El-Sayed ahead by approximately 2.6 points. The Cook Political Report currently rates the race as a toss-up.

Obama addressed thousands of attendees at Cass Technical High School. He stated that El-Sayed is fighting for real change that will move money out of politics and into voters' pockets. The former president also spoke about healthcare, promising that El-Sayed would finish the work started with the Affordable Care Act to ensure affordable coverage for all Americans. This appearance marked Obama's first public endorsement of El-Sayed following a contentious primary in August.

El-Sayed, a physician and former Wayne county health official, won the primary against Haley Stevens, a moderate congresswoman backed by the Democratic establishment. Obama used the stage to criticize Donald Trump, accusing the former president of enriching his family and establishing a culture of taking favors. He also mocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Trump's White House renovation projects, comparing the interior design to a Cheesecake Factory.

The rally was the first stop on Obama's midterm campaign tour, which began in Cleveland, Ohio, earlier that day. He also campaigned there for former Senator Sherrod Brown and Governor nominee Amy Acton. In Detroit, Obama acknowledged past disagreements with El-Sayed over the Affordable Care Act. El-Sayed has previously called the law an incremental fix. Obama noted that they do not agree on every detail, referencing his own wife, Michelle Obama, as someone who also disagrees with him on certain issues.

El-Sayed faces a challenge in Wayne County, where he lost to Stevens in the primary by a margin of 51 percent to 45 percent. Detroit, the county seat, is more than three-quarters Black. Obama last campaigned in the city in October 2024 for Kamala Harris, who also visited with El-Sayed last month. Senator Elissa Slotkin, a featured speaker at the rally, described Michigan as a state that elects fighters and emphasized the need for a check on the White House.

Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate, is a former congressman endorsed by Trump. He lost a 2024 Senate race to Elissa Slotkin by less than half a percentage point. Trump has criticized El-Sayed during the campaign, calling him a jihadist and alleging ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, allegations El-Sayed denies. Trump is scheduled to visit Port Huron on Sunday, the first presidential visit to St. Clair County. If elected, El-Sayed would become the first Muslim and first Egyptian American in the U.S. Senate.

Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic candidate for governor, also spoke at the rally. She faces Republican Congressman John James. If James wins, he would be Michigan's first Black governor. Obama concluded by emphasizing the importance of a fair shot in society and ensuring the system does not serve only those at the top.