Michigan Democratic Senate candidates Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens will campaign together in Detroit on a get-out-the-vote stop with Rep. Jim Clyburn.
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Michigan Democratic Senate candidates Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens are scheduled to make a rare joint public appearance in Detroit, with South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, ahead of the general election.
The two former rivals will appear together at a get-out-the-vote event at a Detroit church, according to two people familiar with the plans who were not authorized to discuss them publicly.
The appearance will mark their first public appearance together in months following lingering divisions that surfaced after the Democratic unity breakfast held days after the Aug. 4 primary. El-Sayed and Stevens last appeared together on Aug. 6, two days after that primary.
Stevens said earlier in the week that she is still committed to El-Sayed, telling reporters Wednesday that “We’ve got a Black and Jewish coalition that came out and voted for me in droves. And I want them to come out and vote for Democrats.” She also said of her role on the campaign trail that she would do “whatever he wants me to do.”
Despite Stevens’ pledge, new friction emerged during the campaign. Stevens’ fiancé, Jason Turkish, said he would vote for Republican Mike Rogers. Stevens later reaffirmed her support for El-Sayed, urging Turkish’s side to “shut out the hate and call it out,” and saying El-Sayed needs to reach out to people who were part of her coalition to “make them feel comfortable about coming to the polls.”
Asked Thursday evening about the upcoming church event with Stevens, El-Sayed said “we’re always trying to unify the party” and that it “hadn’t happened sooner because of their busy schedules.” He also criticized the reporter’s question, saying “nobody cares” about internal party dynamics when the cost of living is so high.
Election-related background includes heavy financial pressure from outside groups. The campaign period following the primary saw nearly $60 million in advertising attacking El-Sayed, including $30 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC.
Early voting in Michigan began Oct. 24. El-Sayed’s campaign has also faced concerns from some voters in the state’s large Jewish community, including over his criticism of Israel and past remarks. El-Sayed said an ad by an independent left-wing group that linked U.S. support for Israel to high grocery prices “has nothing to do with our campaign” and is “certainly not what I want to be talking about right now.”
On the Republican side, Rogers has remained closely aligned with President Donald Trump and appeared with him at a Michigan rally in Port Huron, just across the river from Canada.
Rogers’ campaign has also sought support among Black voters, including visits connected to a Detroit high school program and discussions with residents in Pontiac. Earlier this month, Rogers’ wife handed out $10 gift cards at a gas station, a gesture that was criticized by a Detroit retiree who said she had voted for El-Sayed anyway.
Capping the final stretch, El-Sayed and Stevens are attempting to consolidate the coalition that supported Stevens in the primary, with Stevens pointing to her “Black and Jewish coalition” coming out in “droves.”
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