West Bloomfield Township, Mich.: Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and fellow Michigan Democrats scrambled Monday to refocus attention on turning out Election Day voters after his former primary rival stunned the party by endorsing the Republican candidate in one of the country’s most closely watched races.
The final push before Tuesday’s midterms followed a dramatic Sunday, when Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers after appearing alongside him at church. It prompted her expulsion from the state Democratic Party and drew fierce condemnation from party leaders and longtime allies.
El-Sayed made no mention of the controversy at an event Monday morning at Eastern Michigan University, instead emphasizing that his campaign was about voters, not himself. Asked afterward what he would tell supporters nervous about the impact of Stevens’ endorsement on the race, El-Sayed had a simple message: “Go vote.”
“There’s only one thing we can do to control the outcome,” he added. He was joined at Monday’s rally by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and his grandparents, who greeted the crowd.
With over 2.3 million Michigan voters having already cast their ballots as of Monday, the question is whether the extraordinary political drama will matter to those who have yet to vote. Nearly 4.5 million people voted in the 2022 midterms. The state’s regular early in-person voting period ended Sunday, with polls reopening statewide Tuesday.
“Well, around half of people have already voted,” said Lori Goldman, a longtime Democratic organizer in Oakland Coun
Read More