Separated by a razor-thin margin, Democrat Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is now campaigning with the man he once seemingly hated: Barack Obama.
The former president is set to join El-Sayed on the trail in Detroit in just 12 days. In the announcement of the appearance, El-Sayed said that it was an “honor and privilege” to tell his followers that Obama would be visiting their state.
El-Sayed’s love for Obama appears to be newly found. Just six years ago, the candidate said that the United States was “worse off” for having elevated Obama to the presidency because he was insufficiently radical.
Abdul El-Sayed in 2020: “This country is worse off after President Obama.” Abdul is now campaigning with Obama in Detroit. What changed? https://t.co/O7c2M6iDnU
— Jack (@jackunheard) October 6, 2026
In 2012, El-Sayed penned an article in the Huffington Post where he complained that Obama’s 2012 electoral win “was no victory” for progressives. He viewed the first term of the Obama era an abject failure for the progressive movement, saying that the president hadn’t lived up to any of his promises.
“Obama was not the right choice,” El-Sayed said of his new campaign partner. “So let's be clear, for progressives who care about peace, prosperity, civil liberties, and the future of our country, Obama's reelection last night was no victory. It was the rock we chose over the hard place.”
In 2017, El-Sayed revealed to Vox that he couldn’t stand being compared to Obama and preferred to keep the company of Bernie Sanders.
“But I’ll be honest,” El-Sayed said of the comparison. “I don’t see myself being him at all. I’ve done a lot of reading about him; he and I were very different people.”
Now, El-Sayed is cutting ads that make the two appear as life-long friends.
President @BarackObama showed me something in myself I might never have seen without him. I’m humbled to have his support in this fight. The Affordable Care Act will have laid the groundwork for guaranteed healthcare, and I'm honored to pick up his baton and finally pass Medicare for All.
— Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) October 12, 2026
The sudden switch will leave Michigan voters wondering who else might El-Sayed befriend in order to get elected.
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