Obama Backs El-Sayed in Detroit to Target Wayne County Gap

Barack Obama campaigned in Detroit on Saturday to urge voters to support Abdul El-Sayed in the race for the U.S. Senate. The event took place at Cass Technical High School on the first day of early voting in Michigan, a state where voting is open ahead of the November 3 general election. El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health official and doctor, needs strong support in the county to compete effectively against his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers.

The former president told thousands of attendees that El-Sayed would finish the work started with the Affordable Care Act. He described the nominee as a candidate fighting for change that would reduce the influence of money in politics and increase household income. This marked Obama's first public endorsement of El-Sayed since the August primary, where the former president had remained neutral despite the candidate's victory over moderate challenger Haley Stevens.

Obama focused a significant portion of his speech on criticizing President Donald Trump. He accused the administration of enriching the president's family and establishing a culture of taking favors. The former president mocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for his focus on the physical appearance of military personnel. He also ridiculed Trump's renovation projects at the White House, comparing the aesthetic to a Cheesecake Factory.

The rally was part of a two-day campaign trip that began in Cleveland, Ohio, earlier in the day. In Ohio, Obama campaigned for former senator Sherrod Brown and gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton. The former president has returned to in-person campaigning for the first time this midterm cycle, using the tour to attack the Republican White House and state candidates.

El-Sayed faces a substantial challenge in Wayne County, where the Democratic establishment candidate Haley Stevens won by a margin of 51% to 45% in the primary election. Obama acknowledged the ideological distance between himself and El-Sayed, noting that the senatorial candidate had previously described the Affordable Care Act as an incremental fix. The former president said the two men do not agree on every issue, a sentiment he attributed to his wife as well.

The race is currently viewed as a toss-up by the Cook Political Report. A Marist poll conducted in mid-October showed El-Sayed at 50% and Rogers at 48% among likely voters, within the margin of error. RealClearPolitics data from the same period placed El-Sayed ahead by approximately 2.6 points. Republicans have not held a Michigan Senate seat for 25 years, though they consider this one of their strongest opportunities to reclaim the position.

Senator Elissa Slotkin, who defeated Rogers in 2024, also spoke at the rally. She urged the crowd to vote for El-Sayed, stating that the party agrees on more issues than they disagree on. The candidate's opponent, Mike Rogers, is a former congressman who lost a narrow 2024 Senate race against Slotkin. Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in Port Huron on Sunday, marking his first visit to St. Clair County.

If elected, El-Sayed would become the first Muslim and first Egyptian American to serve in the U.S. Senate. His gubernatorial running mate, Jocelyn Benson, is also running for governor against John James. Benson is the current secretary of state, while James is a Republican congressman. A victory for James would make him the first Black governor of Michigan.