El-Sayed, Obama Talk as Michigan Democrats Seek Unity After Bitter Primary
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, confirmed Sunday that he spoke by phone with former President Barack Obama, as state Democrats work to consolidate support following a contentious primary that exposed deep divisions between the party’s progressive and moderate wings.
According to AP News, El-Sayed described the Friday conversation as “really warm and inspiring” and expressed hope that Obama would campaign alongside him in Michigan. An Obama spokesperson confirmed the call took place.
“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,” El-Sayed told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
A Bitter Contest
The outreach comes days after El-Sayed narrowly defeated establishment-backed U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in the August 4 primary by just under 1 percentage point — a margin of 14,893 votes out of more than 1.5 million ballots counted. El-Sayed won 48.5% of the statewide vote to Stevens’ 47.5%, with the race not called until early Wednesday morning.
The primary was among the most contentious of the 2026 cycle, pitting El-Sayed’s progressive platform — including Medicare for All and ending unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel — against Stevens’ more moderate record. Stevens was backed by the Democratic establishment, including Sen. Gary Peters, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, while El-Sayed drew support from national progressive figures like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
AIPAC spent nearly $30 million supporting Stevens, surpassing all prior investments in a single candidate race, according to AP News.
Uniting the Party
At a unity rally in Detroit on Friday, a crowd of more than 1,000 cheered loudest for El-Sayed as he sought to bridge the party’s internal divisions. The event featured appearances from Pete Buttigieg, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, and other statewide Democratic nominees.
“In the spirit of coming together, I want to thank both of my colleagues who ran, Haley Stevens and Mallory McMorrow, for an incredible race,” El-Sayed said at the rally, as AP News reported.
Stevens, who told CBS News she was willing to campaign with El-Sayed, appeared alongside him at a Michigan Democratic Party breakfast Thursday. Obama also called Stevens after the primary, and she urged him to campaign for Democrats in Michigan.
“You’re seeing folks come together,” El-Sayed said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” acknowledging that “we aired our differences” in the heated primary. “We might see the world differently. But we also recognize the responsibility to come together.”
High Stakes in a Swing State
The Michigan Senate race is one of the most consequential of the 2026 cycle. The seat is open because Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is not seeking reelection, and it represents the only open Democratic-held Senate seat in a state won by Trump in 2024. Michigan voted for Trump in 2016 and 2024, and for Biden in 2020.
El-Sayed will face Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman who narrowly lost the 2024 Senate race to Democrat Elissa Slotkin. Rogers has attempted to appeal to Democrats disaffected by El-Sayed’s progressive platform, releasing a video message saying, “You have a home with us.”
Republicans have not won a Senate election in Michigan since 1994, and a Democratic victory is considered crucial to the party’s chances of regaining a Senate majority. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed optimism, telling reporters, “We are going to win in Michigan. We’re going to beat Rogers, and we’re going to take back the Senate.”
Trump’s Attacks
President Trump has already begun targeting El-Sayed, posting on Truth Social Saturday night an image contrasting himself and Melania with El-Sayed and his wife Sarah Jukaku, captioned “Two VERY DIFFERENT America’s [sic].”
El-Sayed embraced the characterization. “Yeah, he’s right,” he told CNN, before contrasting his vision with Trump’s: “One in which your overlords are two people who don’t like each other, but join in the interest of making billions of dollars off of you — or two people who genuinely love each other, enjoyed some pancakes together, want to come together to build the kind of America where they can raise a family.”
Trump has repeatedly used El-Sayed’s full name in attacks and has called him a “communist.” El-Sayed has compared these attacks to those leveled against Obama using his full name, “Barack Hussein Obama.”
What to Watch
If elected, El-Sayed would become the first Muslim U.S. senator. The general election is set for November 3, and Obama’s potential presence on the campaign trail in Michigan — a state he carried in both 2008 and 2012 — could prove significant in a race that will help determine control of the Senate.
For now, the focus remains on consolidation. As El-Sayed told NBC’s “Meet the Press,” “Five hundred thousand more Democrats voted than did Republicans in that election. If that happens [in November], we are going to win in a landslide.”