USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 6 December 2012Obama Campaigns With Abdul El-Sayed and Jocelyn Benson in Detroit Ahead of Michigan Midterms
“Obama said as he eviscerated President Donald Trump on everything from the Iran war and soaring costs of living”
“Obama took the stage alongside secretary of state Jocelyn Benson”
Photo: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Barack Obama campaigned in Detroit with Abdul El-Sayed and Jocelyn Benson ahead of Michigan midterms. El-Sayed is Democratic Senate candidate facing a tight race against Mike Rogers.
Obama rallies in Detroit
Former President Barack Obama campaigned in Detroit alongside Democratic US Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson on October 24, 2026, as the midterms approached.
Obama told the Detroit crowd that the 2026 midterms are the “last best chance to at least rein in some of the foolishness” of the Trump administration.
Obama urged voters to back El-Sayed, saying the election is about “deliver for them,” and he framed the choice as a way to “make sure we elect them.”
El-Sayed used the rally to argue that “Abdul and Jocelyn understand that this election is not about them – it’s about you. It’s about us.”
Detroit is crucial to statewide victories for Michigan Democrats, with the city being 75% Black and the contest potentially coming down to the city’s substantial Black vote.
Black voters and campaign clash
Obama and El-Sayed targeted President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans at the Detroit rally, with Obama saying voters were facing “broken promises” made during their 2024 campaigns. Obama criticized Trump’s focus on White House renovations, saying, “He should be on HGTV,” and he added, “The only thing they drained is the reflecting pool on the National Mall because some no-bid contract got it all messed up.” El-Sayed contrasted his message with Trump’s, saying, “Trump got us into a war we’ve got no business fighting,” and he added, “President Obama, he contained the nuclear threat without war.”
El-Sayed also argued that Trump’s tariffs were costing autoworkers their livelihoods, and he said, “President Obama, he made sure that they didn’t lose their jobs in the worst financial crisis in a century.” Tony Gooden said he felt it was important to vote this fall because of “the state of the economy, the state of our country,” and Mary Waters said skepticism of El-Sayed may stem from “tense relationships between the Arab American and Black communities in Detroit.”
Tight race, early voting
A recent YouGov survey of likely general election voters found El-Sayed winning 84% of the Black vote, with Rogers taking 11%. A Fox News poll of likely voters in late September measured Rogers’ support among Black voters at 22%. Bridge Michigan said Obama’s Michigan appearance came as the Democratic Senate race was a “tossup” and as Obama called the midterms a “circuit breaker” to blunt negative economic impacts of Donald Trump’s administration.
“TAKE MONEY OUT OF POLITICS AND PUT IT IN OUR POCKETS.”
Bridge Michigan reported that Obama said voters can show “we’re not stuck with a spineless Congress and Republican governors who are enabling all of this lawlessness and corruption and indifference to working groups.” Hundreds of people attended the Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s rally in Detroit, and one supporter said, “TAKE MONEY OUT OF POLITICS AND PUT IT IN OUR POCKETS.”
