Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on Monday threw her support behind Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul el Sayed, whom she called the “best choice” to defeat the Republican candidate in November.
Omar cited the progressive candidate’s opposition to corporate interests, focus on affordability, and support for universal healthcare as reasons for her endorsement.
“Abdul leads with his values and tapped directly into the needs of Michiganders like no other candidate,” Omar said in a statement. “He is ready to win this seat and take back the Senate. He is the best choice to beat Republicans this November, and I look forward to working with him in Congress.”
El Sayed thanked the Minnesota lawmaker for her support while admiring her defiance of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis during the winter.
“Rep. Ilhan Omar is one of the most courageous and unwavering fighters in Congress right now,” he said. “We need fearlessness and grit to fight back against Trump and his oligarchy. When ICE terrorized her district, she didn’t bend a knee to authoritarianism – she stood with her community and fought back. When extremists attack her constituents because of where they come from, she isn’t afraid to take a stand against hate. I am grateful for her support.”
Ahead of the Aug. 4 Democratic primary, el Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) are statistically tied in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI). Earlier Monday, the incumbent senator endorsed Stevens after he had decided months earlier to stay neutral.
El Sayed’s campaign characterized Peters’s endorsement as a sign that Stevens’s campaign is desperate.
“This is the establishment backing the establishment,” a campaign spokesperson said. “Ultimately his entry emphasizes the stakes of the race, it’s the politics of the past vs. the politics of the future, the politics of corporate power vs. the politics of worker power, the politics of cynicism vs. the politics of hope. Nothing says change like the last two senators trying to pick the next one.”
Stevens has also been endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), among other Democratic establishment figures. El Sayed has garnered support from more progressive lawmakers, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
El Sayed and Stevens are the two remaining Democratic candidates after Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow suspended her campaign earlier this month.
MICHIGAN SENATE DEBATE: EL SAYED AND STEVENS SLAM EACH OTHER OVER FINANCIAL INTERESTS
During their most recent televised debate, the two contenders blasted each other over their respective campaigns’ financial interests. El Sayed peddled the claim that Stevens was bought by corporate interests and Israeli lobbyists, whereas Stevens insisted her primary opponent was benefiting from advertising money spent by the Republican Party.
Based on a post-debate statement, the Michigan GOP sees el Sayed as the likely winner of the Democratic primary. Whoever wins will go on to face the presumptive Republican nominee, former Michigan Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, in the general election.