A majority of Michigan voters view Democratic Senate candidate Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, also known as Abdul El-Sayed, unfavorably, according to a poll commissioned by a Republican political group and released this week.
The survey, obtained by the Washington Reporter, found that 50.4 percent of voters held an unfavorable opinion of El-Sayed, while 39.8 percent viewed him favorably. Common Sense for America PAC commissioned the poll. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) serves as the group’s honorary chair.
El-Sayed’s past ties to the Democratic Socialists of America appeared to weigh further on his standing. After respondents were told about his history with the organization, 52.7 percent said the information made them less likely to support him.
Republican Mike Rogers criticized the group’s influence, saying its members believe they can make Michigan and the country more accepting of socialism. Rogers called El-Sayed the “Democratic Socialists of America darling right now” and framed the Senate contest as “crazy versus common sense.”
The Democratic Socialists of America also received a negative rating in the survey. Some 51.9 percent of voters said they viewed the organization unfavorably, compared with 25.5 percent who expressed a favorable opinion.
El-Sayed has additionally faced scrutiny over his association with streamer Hasan Piker, whom the Washington Reporter described as a “pro-9/11” figure. El-Sayed, who has received backing from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), says he does not consider himself a democratic socialist. Ocasio-Cortez is a member of the DSA.
The poll showed Rogers holding a slim advantage in the Michigan Senate race, with 44.4 percent support compared with 43.1 percent for El-Sayed. Because the difference falls within the survey’s 4.7-point margin of error, the contest remains highly competitive. Third-party candidates received 3.9 percent, while 8.5 percent of voters were undecided.
In the Michigan governor’s race, Republican Rep. John James trailed Democrat Jocelyn Benson by about one percentage point, 42.2 percent to 41.1 percent. That result was closer than the margins recorded in other public surveys. Economic concerns dominated voter priorities, with 52.6 percent identifying the economy and prices as the country’s most important issue.
The findings differ from a recent series of public polls that showed El-Sayed in front. A Washington Post–Schar School survey released last week gave the Democrat a narrow lead, while polls from Emerson College and Rasmussen Reports put him ahead by two and three points, respectively.
Torchlight Strategies conducted the survey among 643 likely voters using live interviews and text-to-web responses from September 15 through 19.