El-Sayed Says Harris Detroit Stop Aimed at Uniting Democrats
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said Kamala Harris's Detroit campaign stop is meant to unify Democrats despite policy disagreements.
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed said he wants Kamala Harris's midterm campaign stop in Detroit to bring Democrats together in a key swing state where party divisions were evident during a hard-fought primary earlier this year and in Harris's 2024 loss to President Donald Trump.
Speaking about the economy hours before a planned appearance with Harris, El-Sayed played down his differences with the former vice president over the Biden administration's support for U.S. military aid to Israel.
"The reality of it is that we have a big party. There are going to be issues on which there are disagreements in the party," El-Sayed said outside a gas station in Detroit. "So, what does it look like to bring people together around the issues on which we agree? That's what a mature politics looks like."
He added that he endorsed Harris in 2024 because he believed Trump would be worse.
El-Sayed has accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a position that resonates with many in Michigan's sizable Arab American community. He acknowledged that his disagreements with Harris over Gaza remain.
Harris, the first Black person to serve as vice president, is appearing in Detroit to build support among Black voters, a critical part of the Democratic base that leaned toward El-Sayed's primary opponent in August.
Her visit comes at a pivotal moment in the closely watched Senate race between El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman. If Democrats hold Michigan's Senate seat, they would still need to win at least four more currently held by the GOP to gain control of the 100-member chamber in November.