DETROIT — As pundits and commentators question whether Michigan’s Democratic Party base is unified ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, the party brought one of its most formidable communicators — former President Barack Obama — into the Great Lakes state on Saturday to energize voters for Abdul El-Sayed, Jocelyn Benson and the party’s entire 2026 slate.
El-Sayed, the nominee for the U.S. Senate, is in a tight battle against Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers. Meanwhile, Benson, the current secretary of state, is up against Republican U.S. Rep. John James of Shelby Township, a race in which several polls show Benson ahead.
The Senate race, however, has become contentious and a bellwether contest for Democrats, who must hold the seat this November if the party wants to take back control of the upper chamber of Congress.
The former president called for Michiganders to hold strong and vote for the entire Democratic ticket — including El-Sayed — despite calls from some in the Black and Jewish community to leave the U.S. Senate section blank.
“Abdul and Jocelyn understand that this election is not about them or you, but about we,” Obama said. “It’s not just about economics. It’s not just about inflation. It’s not just about policy. It’s about values. There’s a moral component to the choices that we face right now, and we are not going to fix a system that’s broken, we won’t unrig our economy, so long as we have a culture that anything goes; where what is true and what’s false is poured into social media and money is the measure of our worth. … That’s part of what is going on right now. We have lost touch with those things that really matter in our life.”
Obama also offered praise for other Democratic candidates, several members of whom — Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit and 10th Congressional District nominee Christina Hines — also gave remarks. Gilchrist is seeking Benson’s current post of secretary of state, while Savit seeks the position of attorney general, currently held by Attorney General Dana Nessel. Hines will face Michael Bouchard Jr. in the 10th District, which is James’ current seat.
It would be a significant political and historical signpost if El-Sayed can defeat Rogers in just over a week on Election Day: He would become the first Muslim U.S. senator, but it would also notch a serious victory in the progressive movement led by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont, in a state that twice voted for President Donald Trump.
Obama’s presence in Michigan and his interest in the race were telling. El-Sayed has struggled to win decisive support among Black voters in Detroit during his primary race with U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham. Many of them have come back into El-Sayed’s coalition for the general election, but Rogers has said his outreach to Detroit and Black voters is paying off and that his campaign is making inroads among traditionally Democratic voters.
U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) also boosted El-Sayed, telling attendees that they count on him to be a key partner in busting up Trump’s MAGA agenda in Congress.
Obama said the election was the best chance Americans and Michiganders had to “at least rein some of this in.”
“It is the circuit breaker in the system; we’ve got to flip that circuit breaker, and bring some accountability to this government,” Obama said. “We need to start showing the American people who are hungry for solutions what real leadership looks like, what concrete plans look like that actually lower costs and make health care more affordable, and make housing more affordable, and get utility bills under control.”
Obama said he was tired of the country’s anger and division and urged Americans to look toward the future.
Democratic divisions could hurt El-Sayed, but Trump’s economy may matter more
“We didn’t get into this moment overnight, we didn’t get into it overnight, but this election can be an inflection point, a course correction, in America’s journey to a more perfect union,” Obama said. “Michigan, you and I have proved before to stop change when its time has come.”
Invoking his signature message of change, the former president said that El-Sayed and Benson were both a key part of that future.
On El-Sayed, Obama said that the attacks El-Sayed has faced for advocating progressive policies that Obama said would improve people’s lives, were similar to those he faced in 2008. Obama said that he did not let those attacks on his name and his nationality deter him then, and that El-Sayed would surmount them, as well.
“Abdul is fighting for change,” Obama said. “Some of these folks say, ‘Abdul didn’t like some of the things you did as president.’ Let me tell you something. We are not going to agree on every detail of every issue. … “When people who share your fundamental values are arguing … that’s the kind of disagreement we want in a democracy.”
As Rogers’ campaign surrogates continue to center their attacks against El-Sayed around his Muslim faith, as evidenced by a protest held by white nationalist Jake Lang outside Cass Technical High School, where the rally took place, Obama said that he knows those attacks well.
“Whenever a movement builds to challenge that broken system, the people who benefit from the status quo will say and do anything to stop that train from coming,” Obama said. “They will use lies, and they will use fear, and they will use division, and their name, or your faith, to somehow suggest that you are dangerous and less than trustworthy and less patriotic and less American than they are. We have seen this movie before. I starred in it.”
El-Sayed thanked the former president for his backing, which could be pivotal to solidifying his support in Detroit.
“We shape our own destiny. It’s about building on the foundation of those who have come before us, learning from the lessons they leave us behind,” El-Sayed said. “For me, that foundation was having watched a skinny guy with a funny name do what I had thought was impossible. His legacy continues to offer a guiding light and fitting lessons for the work that is yet to be done. And that work is not just about getting elected, but using your seat to make a difference in the lives of the people you serve. So when they tell me ‘Well his name’s Abdul though,’ I remind them his name was Barack.”
Benson’s race is also important to Democrats, as a victory over James would allow the party to retain the governorship after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s tenure, and prevent a reversal of state policies if James — who has been a key supporter of Trump’s national agenda — wins and takes office as governor next year.
Benson also thanked Obama for flying in to give her his support, even though it appears that she’s better positioned, at least, for a victory on Nov. 3 than El-Sayed’s toss-up race with Rogers. Still, Benson said voters should not get complacent about either race.
The secretary of state said that she wanted to make sure that until a new president is elected in 2028, a Democrat is in office to ensure there is a continued wall against Trump’s policies in Michigan.
“In 2028, the path of the presidency to the future of our nation runs right through Michigan,” Benson said. “Let me ask you this: Who do you want leading this state when Donald Trump tries to pressure the governor to o
Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jon King for questions: info@michiganadvance.com.