Obama seeks to shore up Abdul El-Sayed with Black voters at Michigan rally

Former President Barack Obama rallied for Michigan’s Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in Detroit on Saturday as the bitterly fought contest could come down to the city’s substantial Black vote.

“We’re clear about the choice in this election,” Obama said. “Abdul is fighting for change, real change, change that will bring an end to this war. Change that will get money out of politics and put money in your pocket. Change that will finish the job we started with the Affordable Care Act and guarantee quality, affordable healthcare to every single American.”

“You hear people say this is somehow radical,” Obama continued. “What is radical about that?”

The former president, who rallied earlier Saturday in Cleveland, was joined by El-Sayed, gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson and downballot Democrats less than two weeks before Election Day.

Like his speech earlier in the day, Obama lambasted President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans for “broken promises” made during their 2024 campaigns and criticized Trump’s handling of the Iran War and tariffs, both of which he said have had an outsize effect on Michigan.

“Does anybody really think this guy is spending that much time thinking deeply on these issues? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he is very focused on home renovation. He should be on HGTV,” Obama said of Trump’s extensive changes to the White House.

“You remember — roll back the tape, ‘We’re gonna drain the swamp,’” Obama added. “The only thing they drained is the reflecting pool on the National Mall because some no-bid contract got it all messed up.”

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERS UChicago fraternities tried self-policing. A decade later, they’re asking what went wrong.

FOR SUBSCRIBERS They didn’t know their uncle was dead. Then they learned a cop allegedly stole his home and identity

FOR SUBSCRIBERS China’s first AI film hits theaters, but people aren’t rushing to see it

FOR SUBSCRIBERS Susan Collins won women in 2020. How they break in 2026 could decide the Maine Senate race.

FOR SUBSCRIBERS ‘On the brink of a crisis’: Farmers’ troubles imperil Iowa GOP after years of dominance

FOR SUBSCRIBERS Records reveal the troubled past of Amy Acton’s estranged mother and stepfather

FOR SUBSCRIBERS James Talarico rallies young voters in Austin who are critical to his Senate hopes

FOR SUBSCRIBERS ‘Practice-changing’ new lung cancer immunotherapy improves survival

FOR SUBSCRIBERS Ramaswamy campaign switches to shorter version of ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother

FOR SUBSCRIBERS She had five siblings, but only she survived childhood with her father

FOR SUBSCRIBERS AI is helping cyber defenders — and hackers — find vulnerabilities at a dizzying pace

FOR SUBSCRIBERS Democrats see an opening in secretary of state races in red terrain

FOR SUBSCRIBERS Records offer a picture of the Oregon school shooter’s tumultuous home life

FOR SUBSCRIBERS Everything was going great — and then he got caught in Lori Vallow Daybell’s crosshairs

FOR SUBSCRIBERS DOJ’s election lawsuits are on shaky legal ground, experts say

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERS UChicago fraternities tried self-policing. A decade later, they’re asking what went wrong.

FOR SUBSCRIBERS They didn’t know their uncle was dead. Then they learned a cop allegedly stole his home and identity

FOR SUBSCRIBERS China’s first AI film hits theaters, but people aren’t rushing to see it

FOR SUBSCRIBERS Susan Collins won women in 2020. How they break in 2026 could decide the Maine Senate race.

FOR SUBSCRIBERS ‘On the brink of a crisis’: Farmers’ troubles imperil Iowa GOP after years of dominance

FOR SUBSCRIBERS Records reveal the troubled past of Amy Acton’s estranged mother and stepfather

FOR SUBSCRIBERS James Talarico rallies young voters in Austin who are critical to his Senate hopes

FOR SUBSCRIBERS ‘Practice-changing’ new lung cancer immunotherapy improves survival

FOR SUBSCRIBERS Ramaswamy campaign switches to shorter version of ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother

FOR SUBSCRIBERS She had five siblings, but only she survived childhood with her father

FOR SUBSCRIBERS AI is helping cyber defenders — and hackers — find vulnerabilities at a dizzying pace

FOR SUBSCRIBERS Democrats see an opening in secretary of state races in red terrain

FOR SUBSCRIBERS Records offer a picture of the Oregon school shooter’s tumultuous home life

FOR SUBSCRIBERS Everything was going great — and then he got caught in Lori Vallow Daybell’s crosshairs

FOR SUBSCRIBERS DOJ’s election lawsuits are on shaky legal ground, experts say

The Black vote has become a focus in the race as both El-Sayed and his Republican opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., have sought to improve their standing with the critical electorate. Detroit, a city where 75% of the population is Black, is crucial to statewide victories for Michigan Democrats. In the Democratic primary, El-Sayed underperformed there compared to his opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich.

Speaking ahead of the former president, El-Sayed excoriated Rogers for appearing this Sunday with Trump while contrasting his presidency with Obama’s.

“Trump got us into a war we’ve got no business fighting,” El-Sayed said. “President Obama, he contained the nuclear threat without war. Trump’s tariffs costing autoworkers their livelihoods. President Obama, he made sure that they didn’t lose their jobs in the worst financial crisis in a century.”

An epidemiologist, El-Sayed has leaned on his experience as health director in both Detroit and Wayne County while touting support from prominent Black Democrats, including former Vice President Kamala Harris ; Sen. Raphael Warnock , D-Ga.; Rep. Ayanna Pressley , D-Mass.; and Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist to help him make his case.

“Abdul is as Michigan as it gets,” Obama said. “Abdul was born here. He was raised here. Parents in the auto industry … Captain of his high school football and lacrosse and wrestling teams. I mean, he’s just a jock. You see those big guns. That’s why he wears those T-shirts.”

Polls have consistently forecast a tight race between El-Sayed and Rogers, showing El-Sayed with a substantial edge over Rogers with Black voters.

But the margin matters. A recent YouGov survey of likely general election voters found El-Sayed winning 84% of the Black vote, with Rogers taking 11% — roughly the same spread that Michigan exit polls showed in 2024 , when Harris narrowly lost the state to Trump in the presidential election. A Fox News poll of likely voters in late September measured Rogers’ support among Black voters at 22%.

NBC News visited an early voting location in Detroit on Saturday, ahead of Obama’s rally. Voters who spoke with NBC News said they were casting ballots for El-Sayed.