BRIDGEWATER, N.J. – Abdul El-Sayed, who is running as the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, announced on Sunday that he had an encouraging conversation with former President Barack Obama. El-Sayed expressed hope that Obama would campaign alongside him as Democrats work to overcome divisions that surfaced during a contentious primary season, highlighting splits between the party’s progressive and moderate members.
Describing his Friday talk with Obama as “really warm and inspiring,” El-Sayed chose not to divulge further specifics of the discussion.
In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” El-Sayed stated, “I was grateful for his advice. It was very warm, very inviting, and I know that he knows the critical role that Michigan is going to play.”
When queried about the possibility of Obama visiting Michigan to rally Democratic voters ahead of the November midterm elections, El-Sayed expressed strong hopes for such an event. The former president’s past successes in securing Michigan during the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections underscore his understanding of the state’s political landscape.
A representative for Obama later confirmed that the call took place.
The discussion came the same day that a group of Michigan nominees and other notable national Democrats tried to present a united front at a rally in Detroit. The crowd cheered loudest for El-Sayed, a former public health official who last week narrowly beat establishment-backed U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in a contentious and closely watched primary. A Democratic victory in the fall is crucial to the party’s chances of regaining a Senate majority.
Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is not seeking reelection in the perennial swing state, which Republican Donald Trump won in 2016 and 2024, while Democrat Joe Biden carried in 2020.
El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman who narrowly lost the Senate race to Democrat Elissa Slotkin in 2024 and has tried to capitalize on lingering tensions within the Democratic Party.
Rogers has released a video message attempting to appeal to Democrats who feel their party may be moving too far to the left with El-Sayed. “You have a home with us,” Rogers says in the video.
During an interview Sunday with CNN’s “State of the Union,” El-Sayed acknowledged that “we aired our differences” in the heated primary. But he said the internal divisions are “so much smaller than the similarities that we share.”
“You’re seeing folks come together,” El-Sayed said, before adding of moderate Democrats, “We might see the world differently. But we also recognize the responsibility to come together.”
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