How Old-School Race Animus Could Shake Up the Michigan Senate Race
Dispatches from a weekend with Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens and their efforts to win over black Democratic voters.
Detroit, Michigan
ABDUL EL-SAYED STOOD AT THE EDGE of a picnic pavilion in Detroit’s largest urban park on Sunday, making his case for why he is the Democratic Senate candidate best positioned to help the city’s voters.
El-Sayed, who is locked in a tight contest with four-term House Democrat Haley Stevens, is a doctor and epidemiologist who has served as public health director for Detroit and then (separately) its surrounding county. He reminded the crowd that in those two positions he supplied kids with free eyeglasses so they could see in school, went after polluters whose emissions were causing asthma, and spearheaded an effort to remove lead from water pipes that were slowly poisoning several city neighborhoods.
“I have been showing up for Detroit since I first stepped into the city as its health director back in 2015,” said El-Sayed, “and I intend to show up for Detroit every single day when I walk into the Capitol as your next U.S. Senator.”
The gathering in Rouge Park was one of several “Knock Out the Vote” events El-Sayed has held in these final two weeks before the August 4 primary. Judging by the cheers and scattered “amens,” it was a success. But it was also hard not to notice the complexion of the group. It was
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