Kamala Harris seeks to boost progressive Abdul El-Sayed in key Michigan Senate race

DETROIT (AP) — Former Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign on Tuesday in Michigan in an effort to rally Democratic voters behind progressive Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in a swing state that will help determine control of the Senate.

Harris, the first Black person to serve as vice president, is appearing at events in Detroit aimed at building support among Black voters. She will attend a roundtable on Black maternal health with El-Sayed and appear separately at an event hosted by the Detroit chapter of the NAACP, according to her spokesperson.

Her visit comes at a pivotal time in the closely watched Senate race between El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman. If Democrats hold Michigan’s Senate seat, they’d still need to win four more currently held by the GOP if they are to win control of the 100-member chamber in November. If Rogers wins, their challenge would be even greater.

Rogers has been campaigning in Detroit, a predominantly Black city where his campaign is optimistic he can pick up support from voters hesitant to support El-Sayed. Voters in Wayne County, home to Detroit, supported Rep. Haley Stevens over El-Sayed in the August Democratic primary, favoring the more establishment-aligned Democrat who worked in President Barack Obama’s administration. The stops with Harris, who made history as the nation’s first Black woman to be a major-party presidential nominee, come as El-Sayed is trying to win over voters in the Democratic stronghold.

The race is also seen as a referendum on the viability of a progressive platform on a national level. El-Sayed is running to the left of the Democratic Party establishment, including advocating for universal healthcare and opposing U.S. arms sales to Israel.

Harris’ own relationship with the progressive wing of her party has been strained in the past, particularly as she courted moderate Republican voters during her last presidential campaign, against Republican Donald Trump. Some within her party objected to her support for Israel during the war in Gaza, an issue that has divided Democrats and contributed to Harris’ 2024 loss in Michigan, which has a sizable Arab American population.

El-Sayed is an outspoken critic of Israel who has described the war as a genocide against Palestinians, an accusation rejected by Israel. Some Democratic Jewish voters are supporting Rogers because of El-Sayed’s stance. He has apologized for some past controversial comments and said he is committed to Jewish safety.

Harris’ visit to Michigan also comes as questions swirl about her intentions to run for president in 2028. Harris has not commented on her plans but is also stopping in Nevada and Georgia, two other important states on the political map. Michigan will be the fifth state to vote in the Democratic presidential primary.

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GaNun is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.