By Salma El-Sakka
Democratic leaders are rallying behind progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's closely watched U.S. Senate race as President Donald Trump escalates a barrage of Islamophobic attacks against him. The show of unity marks a sharp turn for a party that split bitterly over El-Sayed's nomination in August.
Trump's Islamophobic rhetoric
At a rally in Port Huron on Sunday, Trump erroneously labeled El-Sayed a "jihadist" and "Muslim Brotherhood member" while invoking the September 11 attacks. The president has repeatedly referred to him as "Mohammed" this month, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee has run ads using his full name, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed. El-Sayed, born in Michigan to Egyptian immigrants, dismissed the attacks as a distraction from kitchen-table issues such as gas, grocery and healthcare costs.
High-profile Democratic support
Senator Bernie Sanders campaigned with El-Sayed in Grand Rapids, while former President Barack Obama appeared alongside him in Detroit on the first day of early voting. Obama likened the name-based attacks to those he faced and rejected the notion that El-Sayed's platform is radical, asking, "What is so radical about wanting everybody to have healthcare?" Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also toured the state with the nominee. Both Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez transferred $1 million to his campaign.
Policy platform and polling
A former Detroit and Wayne County health official, El-Sayed runs on Medicare for All, removing corporate money from politics, taxing billionaires, abolishing ICE and ending U.S. military aid to Israel, calling the Gaza war a genocide. A Marist poll last week showed him leading Republican Mike Rogers 50% to 48% among likely voters, though he trailed nearly two-to-one in ad spending as of early October.
Qualified endorsements and internal divisions
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer endorsed El-Sayed while noting their views on Israel are "much different." Former Representative Sander Levin backed him despite "significant disagreement" on the same issue. Representative Hillary Scholten said she would not campaign with anyone associated with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker. Senator Cory Booker avoided mentioning El-Sayed by name in a CNN interview, and primary opponent Haley Stevens, backed by AIPAC, said she was "on the team" but did not utter his name when pressed.
Final days before Election Day
El-Sayed and Stevens are scheduled to appear together on Sunday, two days before the election, in their first joint event since the primary. Rogers is courting traditionally Democratic Jewish voters by calling El-Sayed "anti-Jew," a charge the candidate rejects. The outcome on Tuesday will decide whether Michigan sends the first Muslim senator to Washington, in a state Trump won by less than two points in 2024.
