US: Mamdani Backs El-Sayed in Competitive Michigan Senate Race

By Staff, Agencies

The Hill reported that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani voiced support for Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Tuesday, saying his election would reflect a broader push for a different political direction in Washington, with working people at the center of policymaking.

Speaking at a press conference, Mamdani linked El-Sayed’s campaign to his administration’s priorities in New York, pointing to the candidate’s opposition to super PAC spending and support for universal healthcare and lower living costs.

“I think that his victory and the victory of Democrats across this country is of critical importance to our city because what it also indicates is a willingness to chart a new course in Washington that has working people at the heart of it,” Mamdani said.

“Those are concerns that ring true for Michiganders. They’re also concerns that ring true for New Yorkers,” he added.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist who won New York City’s mayoral election last year, said his attention remained focused on the city’s five boroughs. El-Sayed, meanwhile, has rejected attempts to label him a democratic socialist, describing himself instead as a progressive populist focused on affordability.

El-Sayed is competing against former Republican Representative Mike Rogers in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters. The Cook Political Report classifies the contest as a toss-up, while polls conducted by Fox News and Marist University last month showed El-Sayed holding a narrow lead over Rogers.

The two candidates faced off in a debate earlier this month, exchanging personal attacks. El-Sayed challenged Rogers over his support for US President Donald Trump amid rising energy costs linked to the US war on Iran.

Rogers, in turn, claimed El-Sayed, who is Muslim, had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and appeared to suggest that the Democrat had family connections to terrorism, allegations El-Sayed strongly rejected. The candidates are scheduled to meet again on Wednesday for a debate hosted by WXYZ-TV.

Mamdani’s support for El-Sayed has added to the Democratic candidate’s campaign as he faces Republican Mike Rogers in a competitive Senate race, with dissatisfaction among Michigan’s Arab American voters emerging as another factor in the contest.

Frustration over the war on Iran, the lack of progress in Gaza, and Republican attacks on El-Sayed are prompting some former Trump supporters to reconsider their political allegiances.

Trump had gained support among Arab American voters by opposing prolonged foreign wars and capitalizing on anger over the Biden administration’s backing of "Israel" during the war on Gaza.

Since taking office, however, his policies have disappointed some former supporters. Hassan Nehme, a former vice chair of the Michigan Republican Party who helped with outreach to Arab American voters, said the administration had reversed course on its promises. “Once the administration got into the White House, everything we were told kind of flip-flopped,” Nehme said.

Several prominent former Trump supporters have since backed El-Sayed. Albert Abbas, who presented Trump with a peace prize during his campaign visit to Dearborn, questioned whether the president had prioritized US interests. Dearborn Imam Husham Al-Husainy, who endorsed Trump in 2024, has also declared his support for El-Sayed, citing the president’s reversal on his pledge for “no new wars.”

Rogers’ attacks on El-Sayed have added to the discontent. The Republican has questioned his Democratic rival’s positions and associations, including his relationship with left-wing commentator Hasan Piker. El-Sayed condemned a synagogue attack in Michigan earlier this year but faced criticism over subsequent remarks referencing the deaths of the attacker’s family members in Lebanon.

He later apologized, saying he had “made a mistake” and that “nobody deserves to have their pain trampled on.”

Rogers also told the Michigan Republican Party convention last week, “El-Sayed wants to represent Palestine. I want to represent Michigan.” Trump separately referred to “jihadists being elected all over the place” after El-Sayed won the Democratic primary. The National Republican Senatorial Committee also faced criticism over an advertisement that prominently used the candidate’s full name.

Faye Nemer, president of the Middle Eastern and North African American Chamber of Commerce in Dearborn, said the rhetoric was alienating voters who had considered supporting Rogers. “I was fully prepared to support Mr. Rogers. … But after seeing the direction that he chose to proceed in, that’s given me a lot of pause,” she said.

Nehme added that El-Sayed was attracting Arab American voters beyond those who shared his political views, saying, “They’re not even really looking at politics anymore.”