Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign is contending with last-minute support for Republican Mike Rogers and fallout from Trump’s tariff fight with Canada.
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A political upset in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race has centred on Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and his former primary opponent, Haley Stevens, after Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers with just under 48 hours left before election day.
The endorsement was posted on Stevens’ social media and drew immediate reaction from Detroit resident Michelle Taylor, who said it was “all about being bigger than your ego” and called the move “a slap in the face to the Democrats.”
The race is also being shaped by trade tensions between the United States and Canada that have become a campaign issue, with tariffs affecting industries on both sides of the border.
The auto sector is at the core of the dispute: Trump’s tariffs of 25 per cent on vehicles finished in Canada have been linked to economic pain, and the campaign context includes Trump’s threat to raise the duty to 50 per cent next year.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge has also been raised in the contest, along with a drop in Canadian visitors tied to Trump’s anti-Canada rhetoric.
A campaign ad described Rogers separating himself from Trump’s approach, including footage of him drinking a Labatt’s beer and saying, “Canada is not our enemy.”
Both sides have run sharp attack ads, while El-Sayed has repeatedly said the tariff fight with Canada is nonsensical.
Christopher Sands, described as the director of Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Canadian Studies, said El-Sayed is facing an “othering” strategy in which Rogers is attempting to link him to foreign parents and earlier controversial comments.
El-Sayed, in turn, has condemned Rogers for corporate ties and legislative records and connected him to Trump’s policies, including the trade war with Canada.
Outside downtown Detroit, Kenneth Ware prepared a get-out-the-vote effort for Democrats in Michigan and said people needed to come together so “the right person gets the job,” adding, “I do feel that we can take a stand now.”
Ware said the weekend’s political noise among Democrats was like running a marathon and urged supporters to participate so the race is “finished,” saying, “I believe our stand is stronger when we all come together than just being alone.”
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