Former United States President Barack Obama has rallied support for Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, telling voters that the upcoming election could signal a renewed demand for political change.
Addressing a packed gymnasium at Cass Technical High School in Detroit on Saturday night, Obama joked about his greying hair before reflecting on his years in politics and what he described as growing public appetite for a different direction.
“I’ve been doing this a long time,” he told the crowd.
He said his experience had taught him to recognise elections that carried a different atmosphere, adding that many voters appeared eager for better conditions and a break from the status quo.
“It feels like change is in the air. That’s what I’m feeling right now,” he said.
Obama was in Detroit to campaign alongside El-Sayed and Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic candidate for governor. His appearance was seen as particularly significant for El-Sayed, whose Senate contest is among the most closely watched races in the country.
The outcome could influence which party controls the US Senate, while also testing whether El-Sayed’s progressive platform can attract enough support in a politically competitive state.
Polls have shown El-Sayed narrowly ahead of his Republican rival, former congressman Mike Rogers. However, El-Sayed said he was not relying on the figures and urged his supporters to continue campaigning vigorously.
“You’ve got to run like you’re 10 points down…” he said. “We are going to fight and claw for every last vote.”
The contest has become the most expensive Senate race in Michigan’s history, with total spending expected to surpass $300m.
Rogers and groups supporting his campaign have spent tens of millions of dollars opposing El-Sayed, portraying him as an extremist and alleging links to Islamist organisations.
Addressing the allegations, El-Sayed said attacks on his name and faith were intended to make voters question his patriotism.
“Over these last three months, you’ve probably seen a lot of folks talking about my name and my faith,” he told the audience.
“They’re trying to get you to question my love of this country, but let me be clear about something. No one understands the promise of America like a kid who was born here but for the accident of history. No one loves America like someone who understands exactly what America gave me.”
He added, “I love America. I’m so grateful I get to raise my two daughters here in America. I just love America enough to call on her to be America for all of her kids.”
Obama said such attacks were familiar to political movements seeking to challenge established systems of power.
“Whenever a movement builds to challenge that broken system, the people who benefit from the status quo will say and do anything to stop it, he said.
He accused opponents of using misinformation and divisions over identity to undermine political challengers.
“They will use lies, and they will use fear, and they will use division and your name or your faith to somehow suggest that you are dangerous and less trustworthy, less patriotic and less American than they are,” Obama said.
“We have seen this movie before. I starred in it.”
El-Sayed’s campaign has faced challenges in winning over Black voters, particularly after the Democratic primary. His rival in the primary, Congresswoman Haley Stevens, won Detroit by 28 percentage points and performed strongly in counties with large Black populations. Her campaign had also featured an advertisement in which Obama endorsed her.
Obama’s visit appeared aimed at energising Black voters and encouraging greater participation in the election.
Benson described the former president’s appearance as an important show of support for the Democratic ticket.
“It’s an incredible endorsement to have the former president, in many ways the leader of the Democratic Party, coming here to Michigan and throwing his full support behind us as a friend, as a mentor, as an ally, but also as a signal to remind folks what’s at stake,” she said.
“This was not just about support and endorsement,” Benson added. “This was a call to action.”
Benson is polling comfortably ahead of her Republican opponent, Congressman John James.
The rally also highlighted efforts by Democratic leaders to present a united front following a divisive Senate primary. Senator Elissa Slotkin, a moderate Democrat, used her remarks to emphasise the need for cooperation despite ideological differences with the more progressive El-Sayed.
Slotkin, who is Jewish, and El-Sayed have differing positions on Israel’s war in Gaza. His criticism of the Israeli military campaign and opposition to sending military assistance to Israel have alienated some Jewish voters.
However, Slotkin argued that the central question facing Democrats was whether they would challenge what they considered abuses of democratic institutions under President Donald Trump.
“The difference these days, under this president, is not between progressive and moderate. It’s Team Fight and Team Flight,” she said.
She questioned whether Democrats would actively defend democracy or simply wait for voters to return to the party.
Despite their differences, Slotkin said she and El-Sayed shared important objectives, particularly the need to provide checks and balances on Trump’s administration.
El-Sayed, who once criticised Obama, has also reflected on how his views of the former president have evolved.
In a 2012 article for the Huffington Post, he recalled supporting Obama in 2008 with great enthusiasm, believing his election would usher in a new era of hope and meaningful political change.
However, El-Sayed later accused Obama of continuing wars, violating civil liberties and deporting more people than any previous president.
In recent weeks, he has adopted a more appreciative tone, saying his perspective changed as he gained a better understanding of the difficulties involved in achieving political reforms.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press earlier this month, he said growing older had helped him appreciate the challenges of change and the importance of continuing to push for it.
Asked about his previous criticism following an October 8 debate with Rogers, El-Sayed compared his relationship with Obama to that between a child and a parent.
He said it was possible to appreciate someone’s contributions while disagreeing with some of their decisions, adding that his own political ambitions would not have been possible without figures such as Obama.
Obama, for his part, dismissed the significance of their past disagreements during Saturday’s event.
“We are not going to agree on every detail of every issue,” he said.
Michigan Republicans criticised the rally, with state Republican Party spokesman Greg Manz describing El-Sayed as a sign of weakness within the Democratic Party.
Manz said Obama’s appearance in Detroit showed Democrats were struggling to maintain support, mocking the former president’s decision to travel from his Martha’s Vineyard residence to campaign for the candidate.
Meanwhile, Republicans are preparing to deploy their own high-profile figures in Michigan. Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in Port Huron on Sunday afternoon, while Vice President JD Vance is expected to visit Howell on Tuesday.
