Empty Yard Signs and Blank Ballots: Black Voters in Detroit Skipping El-Sayed’s Senate Race
Photo: AP Photo/Paul Sancya
A new MS NOW profile by Eugene Daniels captures Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed being confronted in real time with what critics have been saying for months: he could very easily lose this race.
In the piece, El-Sayed is shown a video from Detroit activist Tashawna Gill explaining that Black voters are turning out, but not for him. “They’re skipping that part of the ballot,” Gill said. She described seniors on a nursing home tour showing no interest, adding that some “have returned their absentees without checking the box for anything for the Senate race.”
The warning signs go beyond that clip. Neighborhoods that are usually lined with yard signs are bare, and voters show little enthusiasm for the Senate contest. Republican Mike Rogers’ campaign is campaigning in Detroit, something Republicans rarely do. Some voters also hold El-Sayed’s “Uncommitted” stance in 2024, a protest over the Biden administration’s support for Israel, partly responsible for Kamala Harris losing to Donald Trump. His past statements, alleged connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, and complicated relationship with the DSA further lengthen his odds.
The profile also points to tensions between Black and Arab-American communities. Portia Roberson, a former Obama administration official and CEO of Focus: HOPE, told MS NOW that Arab residents have “been able to move to Detroit in this area and find ways to be successful,” such as by owning gas stations and party stores, while “Blacks who have been here have been locked out of those places.” Some resentment may also linger from 2024, when El-Sayed aligned himself with the Uncommitted movement, which some see as a key reason the White House went back to Trump.
El-Sayed has blamed PAC money for eroding his support in the Black community, but critics argue the distrust runs deeper, rooted in real voter concerns about who he is. The broader lesson, they say, could extend well beyond Michigan this cycle: less crossover voting and more apathy in some swing states. If Black voters leave the top of the ballot blank, Democrats could still do well in Michigan overall, just not in the Senate race.
El-Sayed’s ultra-progressive views are also seen as a drag. He presents himself as a capitalist who favors heavy regulation and public investment, and denies any real affiliation with the DSA even as the group continues to back him. Public polling shows Democrats are not especially popular right now and are instead benefiting from Republicans being blamed for the state of the economy.
Socialism remains deeply unpopular with voters, and El-Sayed’s views, whether or not he embraces the DSA label, are tied to the growing socialist wave within the Democratic Party. Critics argue the problem is not only racial tension between Black and Arab communities, but a gap between the far left and the roughly 70-80 percent of Americans who do not share its views.
Black voters skipping the race and yard signs missing from Black neighborhoods are the alarm bells MS NOW is focused on, since Black support is key for Democrats to beat Republicans. But critics say questions also remain about who El-Sayed really is, that he has been a weak candidate, and that his campaign has not done enough to overcome its challenges. Mike Rogers could very well win the race.
