In the August 4 primary, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed lost big with black voters in Michigan. He lost all of metro Detroit, and polling showed Haley Stevens leading El-Sayed by 46 points among black voters. While the overall election polls may have been trash, it's clear from El-Sayed's behavior that his campaign knows he's got a problem with a demographic that usually votes Democrat reliably.
That's why El-Sayed is trying to pander to black voters in the state now. Much in the same way El-Sayed tried to pander to Jewish voters (after spending the primary campaign slamming Israel and AIPAC), he's telling black Michiganders that he's African, just like they are.
Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed desperately attempts to appeal to black voters who overwhelmingly voted for his opponent in the primary:
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 19, 2026
“I’m also African." pic.twitter.com/cgnJH6VNve
El-Sayed was responding to a question from a reporter who said he was hearing from older black voters that they felt El-Sayed didn't care about them.
"You know, there's been an effort I think to divide people against each other," El-Sayed said. "And unfortunately, you see the consequence of that. To tell us that some group or another group has to be counter-opposed because there's not enough for all of us."
That is literally the platform of the socialist party.
"I am Arab. I'm also African," El-Sayed continued. "My family emigrated to this country from Egypt. I'm proud of my African heritage."
This writer spent most of June in Egypt, and she'll tell you that while Egypt is on the continent of Africa, there is nothing "African" about it (at least not how El-Sayed is implying), and El-Sayed is about as African as she is.
Which is to say, not at all.
He's also a woman.
— Larry LaBate (@xmethuselahx) August 20, 2026
And trans.
And an illegal.
Abdulrahman Mohammed El-Sayed literally represents every basket of voters loyal to the Democratic voter.
Amazing.
Absolutely amazing, isn't it?
His radical Islamic brothers are killing millions of black Africans in subsahara Africa. Nigeria, Sudan, Niger, Congo, Burkina Faso, Mali , Cameroon etc.
— Dr. Osita (@ndubisi2287) August 19, 2026
Notice how he omits that bit of it.
OMFG.
— Howard ✡. 🟦🇮🇱🎗🧡 (@HowardA_AtLaw) August 19, 2026
How not to win over Black voters in three words. https://t.co/qx6Y6vXjq0
Seriously. How does the El-Sayed campaign think this will play out for him?
Being "African" isn't the same as being Black, and making this false equivalency is especially galling given the endemic anti-Blackness across the Arab world, and the recency of the practice of Black slavery there.
— Western Hegemony Enjoyer (@CitedNeed) August 19, 2026
P. W. Botha was also "African," but somehow I don't think that… https://t.co/wgMt2XCdMc pic.twitter.com/PxvBWkt5Fn
Someone else said Abdul El-Sayed is like the Michigan version of Michael Scott, and that's pretty accurate.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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