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Harris to Campaign with El-Sayed in Michigan
Confirmed
In Short: Vice President Harris will campaign with Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, aiming to boost voter turnout in a critical state.
Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign with Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan next week, focusing on Black maternal health and voter turnout in a key battleground state.
Harris and El-Sayed will attend a roundtable discussion on Tuesday, marking their first public appearance together since Harris endorsed El-Sayed after his primary victory.
El-Sayed, a doctor and former head of health departments in Detroit and Wayne County, faces Republican Mike Rogers in a close race.
Harris' visit is part of Democrats' strategy to flip four GOP-held seats to secure a Senate majority.
El-Sayed has faced attacks from Republicans who portray him as a 'radical' liberal, similar to how former President Barack Obama was targeted.
Harris' involvement is expected to draw attention to the race and help El-Sayed build support across Michigan.
What's confirmed
- Harris and El-Sayed will attend a roundtable focused on Black maternal health on Tuesday, according to his campaign spokesperson.
- “Vice President Harris looks forward to returning to Michigan to help turn out the vote in this critical state,” Eduardo Negrón, Harris’ spokesperson, said in a statement.
- The party needs to flip four GOP-held seats to take a majority, if Democrats keep the Michigan seat.
- While in Michigan, Harris will also meet with local elected officials and the Rev. Wendell Anthony, the president of the NAACP’s Detroit branch, according to her spokesperson.
- -- Former Vice President Kamala Harris plans to campaign with Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan next week in the party’s latest push to unify voters in a key battleground state that will help determine control of the Senate.
- Harris and El-Sayed have spoken multiple times since she endorsed the progressive Democrat after his primary victory, but this is the first time they’ll appear publicly together.
- El-Sayed is a doctor and the former head of health departments in Detroit and Wayne County.
- Republicans have repeatedly attacked El-Sayed, portraying him as the kind of “radical” liberal they say has taken over the Democratic Party.
What's still developing
- She will join him for a campaign roundtable about the disparities Black mothers face during and after pregnancy as part of a broader midterm effort to help Democrats win competitive seats in Congress, The Washington Sun reported.
- Shortly after his primary victory, the National Republican Senatorial Committee posted a video on X calling him “radical” and “dangerous,” using his full name, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed.
- In an interview last month with NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” El-Sayed called the attacks similar to ones levied against former President Barack Obama, whose full name is Barack Hussein Obama.
- “We always knew they were going to go here. I mean, notice how they chose to use my full name in echoes to exactly what they did against President Obama,” El-Sayed said at the time.
- Harris has decided to campaign there amid speculation that she may run for president again in two years.
- In 2024, Trump beat Harris in Michigan by less than 2 percentage points on his way back to the White House.
- Negrón added that while she is in Michigan, Harris will also meet with local elected officials and faith-based leaders.
- The race between El-Sayed and Rogers has gotten increasingly nasty in recent weeks.