DETROIT (AP) – Democratic candidate for Michigan Senate Abdoul El-Sayed will campaign Sunday in Detroit alongside former primary rival Rep. Haley Stevens, marking their first public appearance together in months after a week in which persistent divisions dumped in public view.
The two men will be joined by South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, one of the nation’s most prominent black politicians, at a mobilization event at a Detroit church, according to two people familiar with the project who were not authorized to discuss it publicly. The event was first reported by the Associated Press.
The joint appearance — the first since a Democratic unity breakfast days after the Aug. 4 primary — follows weeks of Democrats struggling to unite behind El-Sayed after his landslide victory over Stevens. She received significant support from the Jewish and black communities, leading to concerns about turnout in the general election.
Tensions came into public view again Wednesday when Stevens’ fiancé, Jason Turkish, told the Detroit News that he would vote for Republican Mike Rogers.
Hours later, Stevens appeared on CNN to reaffirm that she would vote for El-Sayed, but urged her campaign to “stop the hate and denounce it.” She said El-Sayed needed to reach out to people who were part of his coalition and “make them feel comfortable going to the polls.”
Asked Thursday evening about the upcoming event with Stevens, El-Sayed said that “we are always trying to unify the party” and that it had not happened sooner due to their busy schedules. El-Sayed later criticized the journalist for the question, saying “no one cares” about the internal dynamics of the party when the cost of living is so high.
Although important, this joint appearance takes place just days before the election.
El-Sayed and Stevens last appeared together on August 6, two days after the primaries. Stevens pledged to support El-Sayed, telling CBS News she would do “whatever he wants me to do” on the campaign trail.
But divisions since the contentious primary have persisted. Nearly $60 million was spent on advertising attacking El-Sayed, including $30 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. Stevens is a strong supporter of Israel who represents a district with a large Jewish community in suburban Detroit.
Sunday’s church visit aims to reinforce that elusive unity, although its impact is uncertain, given that it takes place just two days before the election. Early voting in Michigan began on October 24.
“We have a black and Jewish coalition that came out and voted for me in droves. And I want them to come out and vote for Democrats,” Stevens told CNN on Wednesday.
El-Sayed’s criticism of Israel, his past remarks and his association with controversial streamer Hasan Piker have long caused concern among some members of Michigan’s large Jewish community. Turks and others said El-Sayed had not done enough to address concerns in the run-up to the general election.
The latest controversy centered on an ad from Rebellion PAC, a left-wing independent group, which linked U.S. support for Israel to high food prices.
“This has nothing to do with our campaign,” El-Sayed said of the ad. “That’s definitely not what I want to talk about right now.”
Stevens and other Democrats urged him to go further by denouncing the content of the ad rather than simply distancing himself from it.
Trump’s rhetoric and actions create challenges for Republicans.
Republicans face their own political challenges, including voter dissatisfaction with Trump, the war in Iran and high costs. Rogers has remained closely aligned with the president on most issues, appearing alongside him at a rally in Michigan on Sunday where he credited Trump for bringing manufacturing jobs back to the state.
The rally took place in Port Huron, just across the Canada River, a country with deep economic ties to Michigan that Trump has targeted with tariffs.
El-Sayed has held campaign events in heavily Republican areas, including Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. His team also released an ad featuring clips of prominent conservative figures praising him, including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who took on accusations of anti-Semitism which he denies.
But the ad created another source of friction with some Jewish voters.
Rabbi Aaron Starr of Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield criticized both the Rebellion PAC ad and El-Sayed’s campaign ad during a call with reporters.
“We’re a week away from the election and it feels like the temperature has risen significantly,” Starr said. “Instead of things getting better over the last seven weeks, they have actually gotten worse. »
Rogers, meanwhile, appeared Wednesday with Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas at an event hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition in Birmingham, Michigan. Cruz called anti-Semitism a “poison that is tearing the country apart” and accused Democrats of being taken over by “self-proclaimed communists and Islamists.”
Trump has repeatedly attacked El-Sayed’s Muslim faith, calling him a “jihadist” and saying Sunday that he was “on the side of the terrorists.”
Both campaigns give black voters one last push
Both candidates are trying to win over black voters, particularly in Detroit’s Wayne County, where Stevens defeated El-Sayed in the Democratic primary.
El-Sayed’s event with Stevens and Clyburn is part of an effort to build support among black voters. Much of the final stretch of El-Sayed’s campaign was marked by appearances in Detroit.
Rogers also sought to make inroads with black voters. He visited a reading remedial program at a Detroit high school and discussed housing costs with residents of Pontiac, north of the city. Earlier this month, his wife handed out $10 gift cards at a gas station.
The move drew criticism from Ruby Farmer, a 68-year-old retiree from Detroit.
“You hand out gas cards downtown; you’ll never come for any other reason,” Farmer said.
Even though Farmer has a little trouble pronouncing El-Sayed’s name, she still voted for him three weeks ago. El-Sayed has spoken out against Trump’s policies — policies that Farmer says have a direct impact on her family.
“I have a son with special needs,” Farmer said. “He relies on Medicaid. Medicaid has been cut, and for Michigan home care workers, all benefits are suspended.”
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Cappelletti reported from Washington. Mike Householder contributed from Kalamazoo, Michigan.
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