El-Sayed and Stevens to Appear Together at Detroit Get-Out-The-Vote Event

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed will campaign Sunday in Detroit alongside Rep. Haley Stevens, marking the pair's first public appearance together since a unity breakfast held days after the Aug. 4 primary. South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn is also expected at the get-out-the-vote event, which is planned for a Detroit church, according to two people familiar with the arrangements who were not authorized to discuss them publicly.

The joint appearance follows weeks of friction within the party after El-Sayed defeated Stevens by a narrow margin in the primary. Stevens drew support from Jewish and Black voters during that contest, and Democrats have since worked to keep that coalition intact for the general election. Tensions surfaced publicly again Wednesday when Stevens' fiance, Jason Turkish, told The Detroit News that he would vote for Republican Mike Rogers.

Stevens appeared on CNN hours later to say she would be voting for El-Sayed. She also called on the campaign to "shut out the hate and call it out." Stevens added, "Make people who are in my coalition, right, make them feel comfortable about coming to the polls." She had drawn support from Jewish and Black voters during the primary.

El-Sayed's criticism of Israel, along with past remarks and associations with streamer Hasan Piker, has drawn concern from some in Michigan's Jewish community. Turkish and others have said El-Sayed has not addressed those concerns ahead of the general election. A recent ad from Rebellion PAC, an independent left-wing group, linked U.S. support for Israel to grocery prices. "That has nothing to do with our campaign," El-Sayed said of the ad. "It's certainly not what I want to be talking about right now." Stevens and other Democrats asked him to denounce the ad's content rather than distance himself from it.

Rabbi Aaron Starr of Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield criticized both the Rebellion PAC ad and an ad from El-Sayed's campaign during a call with reporters. The campaign ad featured clips of conservative figures, including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who has faced accusations of antisemitism that he denies. "We are one week away from the election, and it feels like the temperature has turned way up," Starr said. "Instead of things getting better over the last seven weeks, they've actually gotten worse."

Republicans face their own challenges, including voter dissatisfaction with Trump, the Iran war and high costs. Rogers has remained closely aligned with the president, appearing alongside him at a rally in Port Huron on Sunday where he credited Trump with bringing manufacturing jobs back to the state. Trump has repeatedly attacked El-Sayed's Muslim faith, calling him a "jihadist" and saying Sunday that he was "on the side of terrorists." Rogers appeared Wednesday with Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas at an event hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition in Birmingham, Michigan, where Cruz called antisemitism "a poison that is ripping the country apart."

Both candidates are pursuing Black voters, particularly in Wayne County, where Stevens defeated El-Sayed in the primary. El-Sayed's final campaign stretch has included events in Detroit aimed at increasing turnout. Rogers visited a reading remediation program at a Detroit high school and discussed housing costs with residents in Pontiac. His wife handed out $10 gift cards at a gas station earlier this month, a gesture that drew criticism from Ruby Farmer, a 68-year-old Detroit retiree. "You're giving out gas cards in the inner city, you never would come for any other reason," Farmer said. She cast her ballot for El-Sayed three weeks ago. "I have a special-needs son," Farmer said. "He depends on Medicaid. Medicaid has been cut, and for home care workers in Michigan all the benefits are on hold."

El-Sayed is scheduled to campaign in the Detroit area Sunday with Rep. Clyburn, part of an effort to shore up support among Black voters.