Obama Pushes El-Sayed to Close 51% Wayne County Gap in Detroit Rally

Barack Obama told a crowd at Cass Technical High School on Saturday that Abdul El-Sayed must close a large voting deficit in Wayne county to win the Michigan Senate race.

The rally took place on the first day of early voting, two weeks before the general election on November 3. The former president made the case that the Democratic nominee needs to turn out voters in Detroit and its surrounding suburbs to overcome the results of the August primary.

In that primary, moderate congresswoman Haley Stevens defeated El-Sayed in Wayne county by a margin of roughly 51 percent to 45 percent. El-Sayed won the statewide nomination, but the gap in the state's most populous county remains the largest hurdle he faces in the general election.

Obama described El-Sayed as a candidate fighting for change that will get money out of politics and put money in voters' pockets. He pledged that El-Sayed would finish the work started with the Affordable Care Act to guarantee affordable healthcare. The former president also took aim at President Donald Trump, accusing him of enriching his family and creating a culture of taking favors at the top of government.

"Never seen a president so intent on selling favors like this," Obama said to the audience. He mocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for focusing on the jawlines and testosterone levels of troops, asking the crowd how much time Hegseth spends in front of a mirror. He also joked that Trump should host a home renovation show because the White House now looks like a Cheesecake Factory opened by Saddam Hussein.

El-Sayed, a doctor and former Wayne county health official, has faced questions about his relationship with Obama. During the primary, El-Sayed described the Affordable Care Act as an incremental fix, a view that put him at odds with Obama's signature legislation. The two men have since spoken by phone, and El-Sayed has described Obama as a mentor. At the rally, Obama acknowledged their differences, noting that El-Sayed did not agree with every decision he made as president.

"We are not going to agree on every detail of every issue," Obama said. "You know who else doesn't agree with everything I do? Michelle Obama."

The race is rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report. A Marist poll of likely voters from mid-October showed El-Sayed at 50 percent and Republican candidate Mike Rogers at 48 percent, a difference within the margin of error. RealClearPolitics reports El-Sayed leads by about 2.6 points in a similar timeframe. Republicans view the contest as a strong opportunity to reclaim a Michigan Senate seat they have not held in 25 years.

Senator Elissa Slotkin, a featured speaker at the event, told the crowd that Michigan believes in electing fighters. She said her and El-Sayed's disagreements were minor compared to their shared goal of placing a check and balance on the White House. Trump, who has called El-Sayed a jihadist, is scheduled to rally in Port Huron on Sunday. If elected, El-Sayed would become the first Muslim and first Egyptian American in the US Senate.