Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive candidate hoping to be elected to Michigan’s open Senate seat, will soon be joined on the campaign trail by a heavy hitter: former President Barack Obama. Despite past differences, Obama and El-Sayed will visit Detroit together as the centrist and progressive wings of the Democratic Party seek to unify in order to win in November.
Obama to campaign with El-Sayed in Detroit, where outreach to Black voters is key
The Guardian reported that Obama announced that he will be visiting Detroit later this month to campaign with El-Sayed and with Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic candidate for governor of Michigan. The joint appearance will happen on Oct. 24, the day that early voting opens in the state. “Looking forward to being in Detroit on 10/24 to campaign for @JocelynBenson, @AbdulElSayed, and Democrats up and down the ballot in Michigan,” Obama posted on social media.
“It is my honor and privilege to announce that President @BarackObama is joining us on the trail in Detroit on Saturday, October 24,” El-Sayed posted. “Get. Ready.”
The joint campaign appearance represents the continuing effort by Democrats to heal cracks within the party as they seek to defeat Republicans and retake Congress. As Blavity previously reported, El-Sayed’s primary win over Rep. Haley Stevens was part of a larger wave of progressive candidates defeating moderates and establishment-backed Democrats in this year’s primary cycle. El-Sayed, backed by progressive Democratic figures like Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, defeated Stevens, who was supported by top Democrats and far outspent her opponent in the primary race. Tensions between progressives and centrists have sometimes led to public disputes over the direction of the Democratic Party, but figures like Obama, who reached out to both El-Sayed and Stevens after the primary race, have attempted to bring the centrist, establishment wing and the progressive outsider wing of the party together.
Obama steps up campaign activities as centrists and progressives push for unity
While Obama has campaigned with Democratic candidates in key races, including Senate candidate James Talarico and gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa in Texas, the former president has been relatively quiet so far in this election cycle. However, Obama is stepping up his involvement in the final weeks of campaigning, such as recording about two dozen ads for a variety of Democratic congressional and gubernatorial candidates. He is also set to lead a high-profile fundraiser in the Washington, D.C. area to raise money for key races across the country. In the midst of the former president’s campaign blitz, Obama’s endorsement and decision to campaign with El-Sayed come despite differences between the two, with El-Sayed walking back past criticisms of the president. Obama’s presence in Detroit is also intended to boost El-Sayed’s support among Black voters, as he and other progressives have sometimes struggled with Black constituents. Earlier this month, El-Sayed campaigned in Detroit with former Vice President Kamala Harris, with whom he initially disagreed concerning the Biden administration’s stance on Israel and the war in Gaza. The joint appearance by El-Sayed and Harris in Detroit was similarly designed to shore up the Senate candidate’s support among centrists and Black voters while also attempting to repair Harris’ relationship with progressive voters and particularly with Muslim and Arab voters in Michigan who objected to her Middle East stances.
Much like the earlier visit by Harris, Obama’s campaign stop with El-Sayed may be a chance for the former president to demonstrate the influence he still holds within the Democratic Party. For El-Sayed, meanwhile, Obama’s appearance will be a chance to reach out to Black voters and to have Obama’s charisma used to boost his chances in November. For the Democratic Party, meanwhile, the joint appearance continues an effort to heal divisions from the primary season and put on a united front against Republicans.
