I can see why Democrats are so mad at Rep. Haley Stevens for endorsing Republican Mike Rogers on Sunday. It’s not just one reason. Two voter blocs that El-Sayed has struggled with are black and Jewish voters. That’s why Barack Obama flew up there. That’s why Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) visited the state. The Michigan Senate race will be close, and despite all the El-Sayed folks saying all is well — it’s not.
El-Sayed’s attempts to smooth his image with two key voter blocs in Michigan have been disastrous: the late-night spicy chips and Gatorade run and ordering fried chicken during a sit-down with a black reporter were not good. The best was black voters telling members of the media they’re not El-Sayed supporters, one of whom bluntly said that he’s supporting Rogers because at least he’s American. Some criticism has been lobbed at El-Sayed for his style, notably that he seems to be running for a Senate seat for Palestine.
Detroit Councilwoman Mary Waters says Kamala Harris and Barack Obama cannot save Abdul El-Sayed's unpopularity with black voters: “Some Detroiters have said, ‘Listen, if Kamala Harris walked down the street holding his hand, I still would not vote for him.’” https://t.co/UT3sR1yTXc
— DSA Watch (@DSA_Watch) November 1, 2026
🚨 UPDATE: Abdul El Sayed is being RIPPED by black voters and it's terrifying the Democrats "We cannot keep sitting here saying that we're going to vote blue no matter who, and we don't even have a seat at the table. We don't even know the address or where the table is!" 🔥 "Your vote matters." Days after Abdul's campaign told Haley Stevens to stay away from a Detroit church event with Jim Clyburn, Rogers is still going straight for black voters in Detroit Democrats have counted on these votes for decades without earning them. They think black people cannot think for themselves. Vote red this time! Abdul is a security threat! https://t.co/Bz6jsonLTJ
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 1, 2026
Politico talks to Detroit pastor Horace Sheffield about Abdul El-Sayed going to black churches, and notes that Sheffield has endorsed him. They do not mention that El-Sayed's campaign has paid $105k to Sheffield's unregistered nonprofit for "consulting." https://t.co/BScJT1D8ZW https://t.co/XjiRvfZgLt
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) November 1, 2026
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign message is NOT resonating with black voters in Detroit. El-Sayed is banking on that voting block in Michigan, but from what these voters are saying on the ground, that’s far from guaranteed. One voter even admitted he’s a lifelong Democrat who’s crossing party lines to vote for Republican Mike Rogers. VOTER: “It’s a first time thing because I’ve been Democrat forever. So yeah, I’m switching Republican now.” Keep in mind, black voters in Detroit REJECTED El-Sayed during the Democrat primary — he received just 31% of the vote against Haley Stevens. He lost Detroit outright to Stevens by 28 points. If Rogers can secure even a portion of that vote, it could spell MAJOR trouble for El-Sayed next week. Democrats seem to think black voters will fall in line no matter who they put forward. But that’s not the case with this race.
— Overton (@overton_news) October 29, 2026
We'll find out if this was enough on Tuesday