Democratic Senate nominee Abdul el Sayed said he and former Vice President Kamala Harris have discussed the fallout from the Biden administration’s Gaza policy as the two prepare to campaign together in Michigan next week.
Harris’s appearance with el Sayed will be their first joint campaign event since she endorsed him after his August primary victory. The pair will participate in a roundtable focused on black maternal health, an issue both have worked on previously.
El Sayed, speaking about the event, said his conversations with Harris have included the frustration surrounding the Biden administration’s approach to Gaza and the Democratic Party’s relationship with Michigan’s Arab and Muslim communities.
Michigan was a focal point of Democratic opposition to the Biden administration’s Israel policy during the 2024 presidential campaign. El Sayed said he supported the “uncommitted” movement during the Democratic primary to pressure the party over Gaza, but endorsed Harris after then-President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, believing President Donald Trump would be worse for both Michigan and Gaza.
Harris ultimately carried Michigan’s Democratic vote but lost the state to Trump by a narrow margin.
El Sayed said some Arab and Muslim voters remain frustrated with how they felt the community was treated during the 2024 campaign, while some black voters have questioned whether they should support a candidate whose community did not broadly back Harris.
“I understood just how frustrating that moment was,” el Sayed said Friday on MS Now’s Morning Joe about his conversations with Harris, adding that he sees her visit as an opportunity to bring together Democratic constituencies that were divided by the 2024 election.
“I’m hoping for a way forward where folks can look together and say we can build together on the areas of agreement, and we can come to understand each other far better on the areas where we might not have seen eye to eye,” he added.
The outreach comes as el Sayed works to consolidate support across the Democratic Party after a contentious primary against Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI).
El Sayed has faced Republican attacks over his association with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, while seeking to broaden his appeal to black and Jewish voters.
He met with Democratic senators in Washington on Wednesday and has continued campaigning with Democrats from across the party’s ideological spectrum, including progressive Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon.
Team Angie
Team Abdul
Great to meet @AbdulElSayed in D.C. last night.#angieforflorida #washingtongdc #cbc #alc55 pic.twitter.com/S8KpknBOTV
— State Rep. Angie Nixon (@AngieNixon) September 18, 2026
Mike Rogers calls Abdul el Sayed the ‘most anti-American candidate’ for affiliation with Hasan Piker
The effort comes as el Sayed faces the Republican nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers, in a closely watched race for the seat of retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI). Cook Political Report currently rates the contest as a toss-up.
The latest Washington Post-Schar School poll found el Sayed at 48% and Rogers at 45% among likely voters.
