Obama, Newsom Move to Back El-Sayed in Michigan

Democratic leaders are moving to shore up Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Senate race, with the Michigan Senate race emerging as a major test of whether the party can unite after a bruising primary. California Gov. Gavin Newsom visited El-Sayed on Monday, while former President Barack Obama called him last week as top Democrats worked to present a single front heading into November.

The outreach is aimed at calming Democrats in Michigan who may have been uneasy with El-Sayed’s left-leaning profile during his hard-fought primary against Rep. Haley Stevens. Newsom praised El-Sayed as a fighter and said Democrats need to come together because the country faces what he called an existential moment. He also said House races matter, but the Senate contest will run through Michigan and will be very difficult in November.

Newsom also pushed back on the idea that he and El-Sayed represent opposite sides of the Democratic coalition. He described himself as an insurgent insider and said voters want candidates with conviction, strength, and sincerity. The California governor has spent time trying to strengthen his standing with progressives after frustrating that wing of the party during his own tenure in office, including through vetoes and his opposition to a temporary statewide wealth tax on billionaires.

El-Sayed has drawn attention from some on the left, including Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who once said that America deserved 9/11. That association has fueled concern among some Democrats who worry the party is risking a deeper split in a race that could shape the balance of power in Washington. Newsom’s visit and Obama’s call suggest party leaders are now trying to keep those tensions from spilling into the fall campaign.