After winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday, Abdul El-Sayed will face former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat in November.<\/p>\n
A pivotal race for an open Senate seat in Michigan is now fully underway.<\/p>\n
Progressives are celebrating the narrow primary victory of Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official who campaigned on Medicare for All. In a few minutes, we'll ask former President Barack Obama's chief strategist how he would advise El-Sayed. But first, a preview of what lies ahead as the Michigan Democrat prepares to face former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers.<\/p>\n
FADEL: Colin Jackson of the Michigan Public Radio Network joins us to discuss what's next now that the primary election is over. Good morning, Colin.<\/p>\n
FADEL: So let's start with why this race is so competitive. Michigan is a swing state. What does that mean for the Senate race?<\/p>\n
JACKSON: You know, well, President Trump won Michigan in 2024, but a Republican hasn't won a U.S. Senate race here since the '90s. You have Democratic strongholds in southeast Michigan – you know, think Detroit or Ann Arbor and pockets around college towns and population centers like Grand Rapids and Lansing. But west Michigan, northern Michigan, you know, minus a few places here and there, are generally redder. And to borrow a term, El-Sayed will have to lose by less in those rural areas to win the state.<\/p>\n
FADEL: Tell us how El-Sayed will try to go about doing that.<\/p>\n
JACKSON: During the primary, El-Sayed pushed a populist platform that he often boiled down to, you know, three slogans – money out of politics, Medicare for All and money in your pocket. He built a younger coalition campaigning alongside Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive voices. And he beat Congresswoman Haley Stevens, a moderate in the primary. And, you know, she relied on a traditional coalition of Black, working-class, and Jewish voters. Now El-Sayed is going to have to appeal to those voters. You know, he's already calling for Democrats to unite behind him to defeat Mike Rogers. He said that to Michel yesterday on your show.<\/p>\n
ABDUL EL-SAYED: We also know that what unites us is way bigger than what divides us. We know that Trumpism has been just a colossal failure. We know that to defeat Trumpism, we're going to have to defeat Trump's hand-picked candidate for U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n
FADEL: What messaging are we hearing from Mike Rogers, the Republican?<\/p>\n
JACKSON: Mike Rogers is an establishment Republican with a long track record in office, but he can also appeal to the MAGA base. And Rogers is already trying to paint El-Sayed, who is Muslim, as a communist and an extremist. You know, Rogers' reaction statement to the win included some dog whistles referencing terrorism and baselessly linking El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood. You know, El-Sayed, who is the son of Egyptian immigrants, you know, he said he's dealt with this his whole life, and he considers it baseless fearmongering. Rogers is also saying that he understands the concerns of blue-collar voters. You know, here he is in an interview on Fox News recently.<\/p>\n
MIKE ROGERS: We need a senator to fight for these jobs, to fight for these defense industrial-based jobs. I'm the only guy in the race that actually worked on a car assembly line, Chrysler LeBaron Convertible. Who doesn't want one of those? I will tell you that we're feeling pretty good about where we're going.<\/p>\n
JACKSON: El-Sayed does have the UAW endorsement, but blue-collar workers are still pretty much a big factor here.<\/p>\n
FADEL: OK. So a lot of fear mongering around El-Sayed's faith. What are some of the main challenges for each campaign to win in November?<\/p>\n
JACKSON: Rogers will have to balance appealing to MAGA Republicans, while also not turning off the independents, who are largely against Trump here. Meanwhile, El-Sayed is going to need to bring in people that he may have turned off back to his side. You know, think some Oakland County Jewish voters in metro Detroit, who have issues with his criticism of Israel. There is establishment voters and moderate Dems who do think he's too extreme. And he'll also need to contend with the big fundraising gap. In the primary race, AIPAC and other outside groups spent over $60 million against him. Republican groups are pledging a lot of money against him, too, and AIPAC says it's committed to keeping El-Sayed out of office.<\/p>\n