Obama campaigns for El-Sayed in Michigan, though he acknowledges that they do not agree 'on every detail'
The former president was in Detroit, where he appeared alongside El-Sayed and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson at an event.
Barack Obama campaigned in Detroit for Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. The former president arrived in Michigan just weeks before the midterm elections. The event, held at Cass Tech High School, also featured Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson.
Before running for the Senate, El-Sayed had harshly criticized Obama. In fact, in an essay written in 2012, he accused him of having "perpetuated war, violated our civil liberties, deported more people from our shores than any other president before him." Furthermore, he described the Obamacare program as "watered-down reform that kowtows to the interests of healthcare lobbies."
In this context, Obama referred to past criticisms, saying, "we're not going to agree on every detail of every issue."
Looking ahead to the election, Obama also called on Democrats to vote in large numbers and took aim at Donald Trump, whom he accused of "enriching himself and his family." Regarding criticism of the candidate's Muslim faith and family background, the former president recalled when he himself faced similar attacks: "We've seen this movie before. I starred in it."
Who is Abdul El-Sayed?
El-Sayed, a physician and former director of the Detroit and Wayne County health departments, represents the most progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Born to Egyptian parents, he studied at the University of Michigan, was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, and earned his medical degree at Columbia. If elected, he would become the country's first Muslim senator.
Republicans and the Rogers campaign are attacking him for his positions, including abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as well as his political ties to Hasan Piker. Piker, who campaigned alongside El-Sayed during the primaries, was heavily criticized for saying in 2019 that the United States "deserved" 9/11, a statement she later retracted. El-Sayed, who initially avoided condemning it, said it was "a silly statement" and that he does not believe 9/11 was justified.
Furthermore, in an interview with CNN, El-Sayed accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza and also of being an "apartheid" state.
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