El-Sayed is in a tight Senate race against Republican Mike Rogers, with data from RealClearPolling showing that El-Sayed is currently leading by a small margin of percentage points.
Fox News reported El-Sayed’s best group of voters are women, black Americans, and those with a college degree. However, that does not appear to be true regarding one demographic.
According to BridgeDetroit, a Washington Post/Schar School poll revealed that only 67% of black voters supported El-Sayed despite 83% wanting Democratic control of the Senate.
Former President Barack Obama is expected to make an appearance with El-Sayed at a Detroit rally on October 24, reports PBS News.
Obama has become increasingly involved in Democrat midterm campaigns, and he’s expected to help El-Sayed gain more support among black voters.
Kamala Harris, who was the first black female vice president, has already shown up on El-Sayed’s campaign trail.
Linda Lee Tarver, who lives in Michigan, is an ambassador for the Project 21 Black Leadership Network.
“Personally, I believe that President Obama’s appearance on October 24 is a signal that El-Sayed is in trouble politically with the black community. They attempted to bring in Kamala Harris, and they did, and it did not resonate,” Tarver says. “There is a disconnect between nationally elected black democratic leaders and real black people, but that is their go-to.”
During the primaries, El-Sayed’s Democrat opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, won Wayne County with 51% of the Democratic vote. Her campaign ads highlighted support from Obama, and Wayne County is over 75% black.
However, Fox News reports that Obama’s endorsement of El-Sayed has come with a mixed reception from black voters.
Tarver further questions Obama’s appearance.
“President Obama coming in — not weighing in since he was president, not being effective for the black community while president — does not serve El-Sayed in my opinion,” Tarver states.
