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Harris to Campaign with El-Sayed in Michigan
Confirmed
In Short: Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign with Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan next week, focusing on Black maternal health, according to Harris' spokesperson Eduardo Negrón.
Harris and El-Sayed have spoken multiple times since her endorsement of the progressive Democrat after his primary victory, but this will be their first public appearance together.
El-Sayed, a doctor and former head of health departments in Detroit and Wayne County, is in a close race against Republican nominee Mike Rogers for the open seat of retiring GOP Sen. Gary Peters.
Republicans have attacked El-Sayed as a 'radical' liberal, similar to the attacks on former President Barack Obama.
El-Sayed has distanced himself from leftist streamer Hasan Piker, who has made extreme statements about Israel and the United States.
Harris' involvement is likely to draw attention to the race and could help build support for El-Sayed across Michigan.
Some Democrats are steering clear of Harris in the midterms, particularly in redder territory, but her appearance with El-Sayed underscores her continued relevance in the party.
Harris has long been seen as a leading contender in the shadow 2028 Democratic presidential primary, and her latest involvement in the midterms highlights her ongoing influence.
The race between El-Sayed and Rogers has become increasingly contentious, with Republicans seeking to tie El-Sayed to past controversial comments and associations.
What this adds
Recent polling shows El-Sayed in a close race against Rogers.
Harris' visit is amid speculation that she may run for president again in 2028.
El-Sayed has apologized for his response to an attack on a synagogue and preschool earlier this year.
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.
- “It is critical we flip the Senate so we can bring down prices and stand up to Donald Trump’s corruption," Harris spokesperson Eduardo Negrón said in a statement.
- El-Sayed apologized earlier this year for his response to an attack in which an armed man rammed his truck into a synagogue and preschool.
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.
- El-Sayed has targeted Rogers for accepting corporate donations, repeatedly accusing him of representing corporate interests.
- Responding to the fact that members of the attacker’s family – including his brother, a Hezbollah commander – had been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon, the Democratic candidate said: “Hurt people hurt people.” He’s also distanced himself from leftist streamer Hasan Piker, after repeatedly campaigning with him.
- FILE - Kamala Harris, former Vice President and 2024 presidential candidate, arrives during the National Action Network (NAN) Convention in New York, April 10, 2026.
- Senate Abdul El-Sayed speaks at a news conference at the base of the Spirit of Detroit monument in Detroit, Wednesday, Aug.
- Some top Democrats, including Pete Buttigieg, have rallied behind El-Sayed after a divisive primary.