Cook Political Report rates Senate contest a toss-up
Former President Barack Obama rallied thousands at Cass Technical High School in Detroit on Saturday, endorsing Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and the rest of the state Democratic ticket. The event came on the first day of Michigan’s early-voting period, with the general election scheduled for 3 November. It marked Obama’s first public show of support for El-Sayed after the former president stayed on the sidelines in the August primary.
Speaking in front of thousands, Obama said El-Sayed was “fighting for change, real change, that will get money out of politics and put money in your pocket.” Obama also said El-Sayed would “finish the job we started with the Affordable Care Act and guarantee quality, affordable healthcare to every single American.”
Obama campaigned for Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic nominee for governor, at the get-out-the-vote event. He accused Donald Trump of “enriching himself and his family” and said the administration had set a “culture … at the top” of taking favors. Obama added: “Never seen a president so intent on selling favors like this.”
The Detroit appearance was part of Obama’s first weekend of in-person campaigning during the midterms. He began the day in Cleveland, Ohio, where he stumped for former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton.
In the bitter August primary, El-Sayed, a doctor and former Wayne County health official, defeated moderate congresswoman Haley Stevens, who had backing from the Democratic establishment and pro-Israel organizations. Questions had arisen over whether Obama would endorse El-Sayed because El-Sayed, a champion of Medicare for All, had at one point called the Affordable Care Act, Obama’s signature domestic achievement, an incremental fix. The two men spoke by phone after the primary, and El-Sayed has since called Obama a mentor figure.
Obama also used the rally to criticize the Trump administration. He mocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as “laser-focused” on the “jawline and testosterone levels of our troops” and asked, “How much time do you think this man spends in front of the mirror every day?” On tariffs, Obama said Trump was toughest on “that well-known evil empire,” referring to Canada, a few minutes’ drive from Detroit across the bridge. Obama joked, “These are the people who gave us Martin Short and maple syrup.”
El-Sayed has the most ground to make up in Wayne County, where Detroit is the county seat, after Stevens beat him there by about 51% to 45% in the August primaries. Detroit is more than three-quarters Black. Obama last campaigned there in October 2024 for Kamala Harris, and Harris appeared with El-Sayed in Detroit last month.
Republicans have not held a Michigan Senate seat in 25 years, and the party views the race as one of its better pickup chances nationwide. El-Sayed faces Mike Rogers, a former congressman endorsed by Trump who lost a 2024 Senate matchup against Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin by less than half a percentage point. The Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up. If elected, El-Sayed would be the first Muslim and first Egyptian American in the U.S. Senate.
Elissa Slotkin, a featured speaker at the rally, told the crowd that “Michigan believes in electing fighters.” Addressing possible disagreements with El-Sayed, Slotkin said, “It’s OK because we agree on so much more.” She also said, “We’re putting a check and balance on Donald Trump in the White House.”
A Marist poll of likely voters statewide conducted in mid-October put El-Sayed at 50% and Rogers at 48%, within the margin of error. RealClearPolitics’s average had El-Sayed ahead by about 2.6 points in a similar timeframe.
Trump has attacked El-Sayed throughout the campaign, calling him a “jihadist,” pointing to his middle name and alleging that he had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed strongly denies the allegation. The Guardian reported that the episode created one of the most viral moments of the year. El-Sayed has also faced criticism from the establishment wing of the Democratic Party over his appearances with leftwing streamer Hasan Piker.
Trump is due in Michigan on Sunday for a rally for Michigan Republicans in Port Huron, on the Canadian border. Port Huron said the event would be the first presidential visit to St Clair county. Benson, meanwhile, faces Republican congressman John James; a James victory would make him Michigan’s first Black governor.
Obama also acknowledged that some people had pointed out that El-Sayed “didn’t like some things you did as president.” He said, “We are not going to agree on every detail of every issue,” and added, “You know who else doesn’t agree with everything I do? Michelle Obama.” Obama said he and El-Sayed shared those values “of making sure everybody gets a fair shot in this society” and “that the system’s not just run for those at the top.”