CNN
(CNN) – Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed shared that he had a “really warm” chat with former President Barack Obama as the party looks to unite after last week’s intense primary.
“I like to keep private conversations private, but it was a really, really warm conversation,” El-Sayed told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.” “I was really grateful for his advice, and we’ve got a long road to go here, but we’re perfectly unified in the need to win Michigan, take back the Senate, and hold Donald Trump accountable.”
During their talk – which happened just days after El-Sayed, a progressive candidate, narrowly defeated moderate Rep. Haley Stevens, who was favored by the Democratic establishment – they talked about ways to unite Democrats in order to keep Michigan’s crucial Senate seat in November, according to representatives for both El-Sayed and Obama.
A key question for El-Sayed is whether he can create a coalition similar to what Obama achieved during his 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns to win this battleground state. While many prominent Democrats have quickly rallied behind El-Sayed, he may still face challenges winning over Stevens supporters who were unhappy with his campaign tactics that criticized her ties to the pro-Israel group AIPAC.
Republicans are looking to exploit these divisions as they aim to flip the seat – GOP nominee Mike Rogers made an appeal directly aimed at discontented Stevens voters on Friday.
Stevens herself swiftly endorsed El-Sayed after his victory and expressed willingness to campaign alongside him.
However, Obama hasn’t indicated whether he’d join the former public health official on the campaign trail.
When asked if he expected support from the popular former president, El-Sayed expressed hopefulness.
“Obviously we’ve got a lot more to do here, but it was a really, really warm conversation, and I was really, really grateful for his advice and his mentorship,” he told Tapper.
Obama’s political brand has shown itself as a strong asset in significant campaigns throughout the 2026 election cycle.
While Obama stayed out of the hotly contested Democratic primary against Rogers, his influence was felt. Outside groups invested heavily in ads linking him with Stevens while also spotlighting El-Sayed’s previous criticisms of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity initiative.
On the campaign trail, El-Sayed has drawn parallels between himself and Obama.
During his first attempt at elected office in 2018 when he aimed to become America’s first Muslim governor, people often compared his Ivy League education and speaking style with that of the first Black president. Although he’s acknowledged similarities with Obama, he’s argued that Obama’s politics didn’t go far enough – something Stevens’ campaign highlighted during their primary showdown.
But on Sunday, El-Sayed spoke highly of Obama and said it was an honor receiving guidance for his upcoming campaign.
He recounted watching Obama’s keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention supporting then-presidential nominee John Kerry.
“It’s the first time I ever saw myself reflected in politics at all,” El-Sayed said.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
Source link
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
Source link
