Former Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign with Democratic Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed this week as Democrats work to shore up support ahead of the midterm elections, the Associated Press reports.
Michigan is a key battleground state that will likely determine which party controls the Senate in the next session. El-Sayed is looking to succeed outgoing Democratic Sen. Gary Peters after winning the Democratic primary in August, the party’s most expensive primary of the cycle. He’s running against former GOP Rep Mike Rogers, and a poll of Michigan voters from Emerson College Polling released Thursday showed El-Sayed in the lead with 48% to Rogers’ 46%.
Harris has so far not revealed whether she plans to run for president again in 2028, despite widespread speculation. She lost Michigan in the 2024 presidential election by less than two percentage points.
“I’m just really looking forward to having her here, and she is somebody who so many folks in communities like Detroit look up to as an inspirational leader,” El-Sayed told Politico.
The two will appear at a roundtable focused on Black maternal health on Tuesday, his campaign said. El-Sayed is a doctor and his experience includes leading both the Detroit and Wayne County health departments.
Since the beginning of President Trump’s second term, his administration has cut nearly $3 million in federal funding for maternal health programs in Michigan.
The appearance is the first time Harris and El-Sayed will appear in public together.
“It is critical we flip the Senate so we can bring down prices and stand up to Donald Trump’s corruption,” Harris’ spokesperson told the AP in a statement.
(Photo: Kamala Harris, via Kamala Harris Facebook)