Abdul el Sayed is contending with the fact that the Democratic Party’s most reliable voters could cost him the election in the high-stakes matchup with former Rep. Mike Rogers for Michigan’s Senate race.Black voters have helped propel his party to statewide victories for years, but they were significantly less enthusiastic about his candidacy than other parts of the Democratic coalition.El Sayed’s weakness was particularly evident in Wayne County, the state’s most populous county, home to Detroit, nearly 40% black, and a critical Democratic stronghold. Despite having served as the county’s health director, el Sayed lost the county to Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), 51.3% to 45.4%, a deficit of roughly 17,300 votes.
That result leaves el Sayed with an immediate challenge: winning back voters who could have supported him in the primary but chose someone else.He has seemingly yet to develop an answer to his problem. When asked how he would respond to black voters who do not support him, el Sayed pointed to his own African identity rather than directly addressing why those voters might be skeptical of his candidacy.Irina Tsukerman, a political analyst and president of Scarab Rising, said the response was awkward because black Americans and African immigrants can have distinct political histories and experiences.“His answer about his African identity was awkward because it did not address what black voters were actually asking,” Tsukerman told the Washington Examiner.Abdul el Sayed and Mike Rogers (AP photos)
