Failed Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris plans to campaign with Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed next week, their first joint public appearance since she endorsed the progressive Democrat.
The former vice president heads to Michigan to campaign for El-Sayed as national Democrats work to unite behind him. His primary win had exposed deep rifts within the party. Harris and El-Sayed have talked multiple times since she endorsed him after his August primary victory, though Tuesday marks their first joint public appearance, according to the Associated Press.
Harris and El-Sayed will attend a Tuesday roundtable focused on black maternal health, according to his campaign spokesperson. El-Sayed is a physician who once ran the health departments in Detroit and Wayne County.
Harris spokesperson Eduardo Negrón framed the visit as a turnout play in a state Democrats cannot afford to lose.
“Vice President Harris looks forward to returning to Michigan to help turn out the vote in this critical state,” Negrón said in a statement. “It is critical we flip the Senate so we can bring down prices and stand up to Donald Trump’s corruption.”
El-Sayed, whose full name is Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, faces Republican Mike Rogers in November. Rogers, a former U.S. representative, has repeatedly cast the Democrat as too extreme for the state.
“They believe that they can move the state and the country, by the way, to be more accepting of this socialism,” Rogers told Breitbart News, describing El-Sayed as the “Democratic Socialists of America darling right now” and calling the race “crazy versus common sense.”
Recent polling suggests a tight contest. A survey conducted for the Detroit News and WDIV-TV showed Rogers at 45.8 percent to El-Sayed’s 44.4 percent, reversing earlier surveys that had put the Democrat ahead.
When Harris endorsed El-Sayed in August, she praised his agenda while attacking Republicans.
“Dr. Abdul El-Sayed understands that the power is with the people, and that the stakes couldn’t be higher in this election,” Harris said at the time.
White House communications director Steven Cheung dismissed the endorsement, writing that Harris “should really re-evaluate her life choices before running for president again.”
Harris is stepping in as Democrats fight to keep the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters, one of several races that could tip control of the Senate. El-Sayed’s primary victory over Rep. Haley Stevens split the party, largely over U.S. support for Israel.
Read the full article here