New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia called Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed “radical” as a new statewide poll gave him a six-point lead over former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in the state Senate midterm race.
Zacharia launched the attack during an interview with Fox News anchor Jesse Watters, arguing that El-Sayed avoided answering the question of whether Israel or Iran posed the greater threat to the United States.
“He’s had a hard time getting there because he has an answer, and the answer won’t get him elected,” she said. “It was multiple choice and he didn’t answer the question.”
His criticism then focused on domestic politics.
She claimed his positions reflected those of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) rather than Michigan’s economic needs and claimed he had “spoken out against the auto industry.”
“He wants to institute all these DSA, Medicare for All policies,” Zacharia said. “He has no interest in serving Michigan, and that’s why they need to vote for Mike Rogers right now.”
She concluded: “This guy is a radical. »
News week emailed the El-Sayed and Rogers campaigns for comment via email after hours Saturday morning.
Why it matters
Zechariah Fox News The rant heightens the stakes in an open contest that RealClearPolitics sees as a toss-up as Election Day, Nov. 3, approaches.
Republicans are seeking to turn El-Sayed’s progressive agenda into a liability, while Democrats enter the home stretch with an advantage according to several recent polls.
Key Points
- Zacharia accused the Democrat of prioritizing the policies of the Democratic Socialists of America over Michigan’s auto industry and workforce.
- The new press secretary urged residents to support Rogers as she prepared to take office at the White House on Monday.
- Recent public polls consistently place El-Sayed on par with or ahead of his Republican opponent, although the extent of that advantage varies.
- Survey results reveal contrasting coalitions divided by age, race, education, geography and gender.
New poll gives El-Sayed the lead
Zacharia’s interview coincided with a Wedgewood Polls poll showing El-Sayed at 53 percent and Rogers at 47 percent. The online panel surveyed 607 likely Michigan voters Oct. 8-9 and assumed a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.
Although the six-point difference exceeds the stated margin, uncertainty in the polls means the race could be closer than six points.
Other methodological factors, including participation assumptions and weighting choices, may also affect results.
The Wedgewood poll also shows the different groups of voters each campaign relies on. El-Sayed scored 90 percent among black respondents, 62 percent among voters aged 18 to 29 and 61 percent among college graduates.
Rogers scored 54 percent among white respondents and 52 percent among those without a four-year degree.
Subgroups contain fewer respondents than the full sample, giving these numbers greater uncertainty. These divisions make the competition tangible for Michigan families.
Younger, educated voters offer the best opportunities for Democrats, while the Republican path depends more on older, white, non-college constituencies.
What other polls show
The RealClearPolitics average for polls conducted from September 15 to October 6 puts El-Sayed at 48.1 percent and Rogers at 44.9 percent, a Democratic advantage of 3.2 points.
- Quantus Insights found a narrower contest, reporting 48 percent to 47 percent after surveying 762 likely voters Oct. 5-6. Its upper margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3.9 percentage points; the pollster calculated about 7.8 points for the difference between the candidates and described the result as a statistical tie.
- Mitchell Research measured a five-point lead on October 1, with 46 percent supporting El-Sayed and 41 percent choosing Rogers. This survey included 680 likely voters and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.8 points.
- The Trafalgar Group poll of 1,085 likely voters, conducted September 28-30 with a margin of plus or minus 2.9 points, produced a result of 47 percent to 45 percent. Five percent remained undecided.
Taken together, the data gives El-Sayed a modest advantage while leaving Rogers close enough that a late move, turnout differences or ordinary polling error could change the outcome.
What happens next
Zacharia said his first day on the job at the White House would be Monday, adding that Trump was “full of surprises.”
His new platform gives Republicans an important messenger for their closing argument, but Michigan voters will determine whether portraying El-Sayed as ideologically extreme can erase his current advantage in the polls.
Newsweek reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
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