USA06 October, 20262 min read
Abdul El-Sayed Predicts Michigan Senate Win, While Debbie Dingell Warns Democrats Not To Take Anything
El-Sayed predicts a seven-point win in Michigan's Senate race. Some top Michigan Democrats privately doubt his chances of victory.
Michigan Senate Race Tightens
Abdul El-Sayed predicted he would win Michigan’s Senate race by 7 points, but leading state Democrats privately worried he “won’t win at all.”
Rep. Debbie Dingell said, “We’ve got to work every single demographic and not take anything for granted,” as the race remained a nail-biter ahead of Thursday night’s sole debate.
CNN reported that El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens by 1 point, rather than the double-digit margin he had predicted to CNN beforehand.
El-Sayed’s campaign faced doubts from Black and Jewish leaders, including a Detroit Black leader who said he felt “they believe they don’t necessarily need to work as hard to get the Black vote.”
Outreach, Trust, and Debate
Lansing Mayor Andy Schor supported Stevens in the primary, and Schor said, “If he doesn’t need me, he doesn’t need me,” while also saying he would not vote for Rogers but would not back El-Sayed “at least until they have a conversation.” El-Sayed told CNN outside the Detroit 75 Kitchen food truck, “Every community that I’ve met with, I’ve said, ‘Leading for and with your community is a concern and a key consideration for me,’” as he defended his outreach.
NewsNation’s Leland Vittert said the close race could hinge on turnout among Black, Arab and Jewish voters, with economic concerns driving much of the anger he heard on the ground. ABC News quoted Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez telling a Monday night fundraiser, “If Abdul can win in Michigan, anybody can win anywhere,” framing the contest as a test for progressives beyond the state.
Polls, Early Voting, Stakes
Mitchell Research & Communications showed El-Sayed leading Mike Rogers with 45.6% to 41.4%, with a margin of error of 3.8%, and the poll put other candidates at a combined 7%.
The same Mitchell poll said independents favored El-Sayed 46% to 34%, and it reported that 6% of voters were undecided.
CBS News said absentee voting began in Michigan on Sept. 24, and it reported that early in-person voting starts statewide on Oct. 24.
The Guardian said Barack Obama would head to Detroit to rally with Abdul El-Sayed and gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson on 24 October, describing the appearance as an establishment show of support for a progressive insurgent in a race that could determine Senate control next year.