On the eve of the U.S. midterm elections, candidates in Michigan’s hotly contested U.S. Senate race made their final appeal to voters in a race that could see them take control of Congress.
In dueling campaign rallies Monday night, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers offered contrasting visions to the state’s voters. Despite the dramatic, late-game developments, polls show this delicate race moving even further out of Republicans’ reach.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
With Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” playing in the background, Mr. Rogers took to the stage in Rochester Hills, Michigan, to talk about the race he described as a battle for “the heart and soul of the nation.”
“Are you ready to fight for freedom tomorrow?” the former lawmaker asked the crowd. “Are you ready to send a message to America that we defeated the Democratic Socialists of America?”
Half an hour away in Detroit, El-Sayed focused on his cost-of-living platform at a rally with members of the United Auto Workers union union. He cited a series of dark themes that reverberated across the state and the country in the final stages of the campaign, including a barrage of anti-Muslim rhetoric.
“If you want to win the election, you might want to talk about gas and groceries at a time when gas is so expensive and people can’t afford groceries,” El-Sayed told rallygoers. “They don’t want to talk about gas or groceries. They want to talk about me and my name and my faith.”
US President Donald Trump, the main instigator of these attacks, said El-Sayed, whose family immigrated from Egypt, would “bring hordes of jihadists to the United States.” Trump also frequently misspells Democrats’ names, calling them “Abdul Ramadan” and emphasizing his middle name, “Mohammed.”
“I don’t even care if[Trump]knows my name,” El-Sayed said. “Because from tomorrow onwards he will call me Senator.”
But as undecided Michigan residents prepare to head to the polls on Tuesday, the same Democrat’s shocking endorsement of Mr. El-Sayed’s opponent could prove crucial.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost to El-Sayed for the Senate nomination in the state’s primary earlier this year, shocked the nation Sunday by breaking ranks and endorsing Rogers.
Stevens, who has struggled in a series of interviews to explain why he decided to support Republicans in the race, posted a lengthy message on social media on Monday detailing how he made his decision. He said it was based on an ad unrelated to El-Sayed’s campaign that linked U.S. support for Israel to rising food costs, and that he had been “kicked out” of the campaign.
“Mike Rogers and I disagree on many points, but the state of Michigan must elect a senator, and there is no neutral option that will absolve me of responsibility,” Stevens wrote to X. “After I came to the conclusion that Abdul El-Sayed was unfit to serve in the U.S. Senate, I had to confront who should serve in the U.S. Senate.”
Mr. Stevens scolded his fellow Democrats for their reactions to his endorsement and hinted at possible future political plans when he leaves office in January. “We can build a stronger, more welcoming and braver Democratic Party,” she said. “And I’m going to help lead that effort.”
Participants at Mr. Rogers’ rally applauded him as he highlighted support from Mr. Stevens and other Democrats.
“That’s a special kind of courage,” he said of Stevens.
The crowd then shouted “Hailey!” in unison.
A New York Times/Siena poll released Sunday suggested Mr. El-Sayed led Mr. Rogers by 11 points (53% to 42%) among likely voters. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
