Former President Barack Obama rallied in Detroit on Saturday, Oct. 24, for Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed at Cass Technical High School, on the first day of in-person early voting in Michigan. President Donald Trump is scheduled to rally in Port Huron on Sunday for Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers and gubernatorial candidate John James.
The back-to-back visits show how much is riding on Michigan. Beneath the star power, both campaigns are chasing the same prize, and it’s sitting in Detroit.
What did Obama say at the Detroit rally?
Obama criticized what he called years of chaos, cruelty and corruption under Trump and argued that tariffs on Canada have raised costs for Michigan’s auto industry. He also tied his own history to El-Sayed’s, recalling the false birther conspiracy Trump once promoted about him. We have seen this movie before, Obama said, adding that he starred in it.
That line answered a recurring attack. Trump has called El-Sayed a jihadist at rallies, a claim CNN reported as false. El-Sayed, born in Michigan to Egyptian immigrant parents, opened for Obama by joking that critics who object to his name should remember Obama’s.
Why are Black voters in Detroit central to the Michigan Senate race?
Detroit is a majority Black city, and statewide Democratic wins usually depend on strong turnout there. An early October Mitchell Research poll found Black voters backing El-Sayed 71% to 9%, while Rogers led among men and voters 65 and older.
That’s why the same voters are hearing from both sides. Obama remains highly popular in Detroit, and his visit was aimed at turnout. Republicans see an opening of their own.
How is Mike Rogers courting Black voters?
The Rogers campaign has aggressively courted Black voters, arguing Democrats have taken them for granted. A recent Rogers ad features Black voters saying El-Sayed cares more about the West Bank than West Detroit. El-Sayed has made opposition to U.S. military aid to Israel a central part of his campaign.
Rogers is also running a careful line on Trump. He has criticized the administration’s tariffs and the war with Iran for making life harder for working class voters, while emphasizing national security and crime. Rogers has also sought to tie El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood, a claim El-Sayed has repeatedly rejected.
What did Trump say on the campaign trail?
At a Saturday rally in Perry, Georgia, Trump touted tariff revenue, a $4.2 billion Audi plant planned for Macon and a $5,000 payment to every adult if Republicans keep Congress. He acknowledged high oil prices but said they would come down.
He also repeated a vulgar remark about immigrants from Somalia, Haiti, Libya and Yemen, asking why the U.S. doesn’t take more people from Norway, Sweden or Denmark.
Where does the Michigan Senate race stand?
It’s close. A Marist poll of likely voters taken Oct. 15 to 18 had El-Sayed at 50% and Rogers at 48%. A poll for a conservative group had Rogers ahead 46% to 44%. Republicans haven’t won a Senate race in Michigan since 1994, but Trump carried the state in 2024, making it a key battleground.
What happens next?
The sprint continues Sunday. Sen. Bernie Sanders joins El-Sayed in Grand Rapids while Trump rallies in Port Huron. Election Day is Nov. 3.
Each side is making its case to Detroit. Democrats argue Trump’s tariffs and policies have raised costs and that El-Sayed would fight for working families. Republicans argue Democrats have taken Black voters for granted and that Rogers offers a Michigan-first focus on security and the economy. Voters will decide which pitch lands.
