Obama's star power gets a reality check from Black voters in crucial Senate race: 'It's a turnoff'
DETROIT — Former President Barack Obama’s endorsement of Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is getting a mixed reception among Black voters in Detroit, with some undecided voters saying the former president's backing isn't enough to win them over.
Fox News Digital spoke with more than a dozen Black voters in Detroit, most of whom said they plan to back El-Sayed in November, but several undecided voters said Obama's endorsement had not persuaded them to support the Democrat. The reactions come as Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers seeks to win over disaffected Democrats, including Black voters in Detroit, a key constituency for the party in Michigan.
"Honestly, it's a turn-off just because I've seen too many candidates use him just to manipulate the Democratic vote," Mercedes, one undecided Black voter, told Fox News Digital of Obama's endorsement.
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"No, not at all," Anthony, another undecided Black voter, told Fox News Digital when asked if Obama’s endorsement had swayed him toward El-Sayed. "What he's been able to do is from an image standpoint, as far as ‘hope,’ he drove the point there. But as far as really giving back to the community, minority owned businesses, and everyone across the board, I don't really think he really got there for me … he really hasn't swayed me one way or another."
Obama and El-Sayed are preparing to campaign together in Michigan despite the Democratic Senate nominee's history of sharply criticizing the former president, a political reversal that also drew mixed reactions from Black Detroit voters interviewed by Fox News Digital.
Juanita, another Black voter who has yet to commit to El-Sayed, told Fox News Digital that, "I don't want to be pushed to vote for him because somebody else is backing him."
Rita, a Black voter who said she had recently been homeless, told Fox News Digital that she would prefer to do her own research rather than relying on Obama’s endorsement.
Even some voters who support El-Sayed stated that Obama’s endorsement didn’t do much for them.
"I think that a lot of people put more stock into who the person is than what he does … his yay or nay doesn't sway me either way," one such voter told Fox News Digital.
Detroit’s African American residents were not uniform in dismissing Obama’s endorsement, however. Roughly half of those who spoke with Fox News Digital said the former president’s backing improved their opinion of El-Sayed, though none of those voters claimed that they were undecided before the endorsement.
"For sure, I’m an Obama stan," Jamel, a Black voter planning to support El-Sayed, told Fox News Digital when asked whether Obama’s endorsement made him more likely to back the Democrat.
"Somebody who is endorsed by Obama, I would want to vote for them, because I stand behind the things he endorsed at the time, and I think that Obama’s endorsement means a lot to our community," Kenya, another Black voter, told Fox News Digital.
Detroit's Black voters were also divided over El-Sayed’s past criticism of Obama, particularly now that the two are preparing to campaign together.
In a 2012 opinion column, El-Sayed accused then-President Obama of perpetuating war, violating civil liberties and deporting more people than any previous president. He described Obama’s reelection as "no victory," writing, "it was the rock we chose over the hard place."
El-Sayed has since walked back those criticisms, praising Obama’s handling of the circumstances he inherited and noting that it is possible to disagree with someone while still admiring them.
"Yeah, I don't understand how you can endorse somebody that was kind of the opposition when you were in office," Juanita told Fox News Digital. "I mean, that doesn't make sense."
"I think I see it as a flip flop, but I also see it as an opportunity to pretty much highlight those things and how he's actually changed and why their objectives may align now," Anthony said. "You know, people's objectives change, their perspectives change."
Nia, an African American voter who said she intends to support El-Sayed, said that pivots like El-Sayed’s are common in politics, pointing to Vice President JD Vance’s past criticism of President Donald Trump as an example.
Despite mixed reactions to Obama's endorsement and El-Sayed's past criticism, several Black voters interviewed by Fox News Digital acknowledged the former president's continuing influence within the Democratic Party.
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"He is. I mean, you can't deny that he has a gigantic following and a lot of people will follow him and will listen to what he has to say," Vincent, a Black voter who voted early for El-Sayed, told Fox News Digital. "But we're coming into a point in time now where we want to see results on both sides. We're not seeing results from either party, so we have to see results. So he may still have a big sway in the party now, but I think party politics is coming to an end kind of quick."
While Fox News Digital's interviews were limited in number, they echo concerns about El-Sayed's support among Black voters that have surfaced in other reporting and polling. Pre-primary polling showed stronger support for Rep. Haley Stevens among Black Democratic voters, and questions have persisted about whether El-Sayed can consolidate that support heading into November.
A recent focus group of Black voters held by MS NOW, for instance, found reluctance among Black Michigan voters to cast their lot with El-Sayed. A Fox News poll conducted in late September found that just 77% of African American voters were supportive of El-Sayed, significantly below the usual Democratic benchmark for the demographic.
"I think he’s taking advantage [of] we as Black people are Democratic, and he think we gonna vote for him anyway," one middle-aged Black woman told the MS NOW panel. "And I’m like, ‘No sir, I’m gonna put uncommitted down on that little circle and move on.’ If you’re going to Congress to represent me, I need you to talk about what’s going on in this community."
While the GOP sees an opportunity here, the party has long attempted to court minority support, with mixed results.
Kandia Milton, a government affairs professional with deep ties to Detroit's African American community, pushed back against the narrative that El-Sayed would struggle with Black voters in November.
"The great thing about Abdul is that he's not new to Detroiters. … And so Detroiters, once they understand his background, understand what he stands for and all the things that he's done in the past, you see greater enthusiasm for his campaign and his candidacy for Senate," Milton said of El-Sayed.
"He has been very active in getting out into the community. In fact, tomorrow we have a public meeting with Abdul at our church. Where he will be speaking to the community around, you know, the issues that he stands on and stands firm on."
Milton characterized Obama's endorsement of El-Sayed as a "great shot in the arm" for his campaign, citing the former president's "credibility in our community" and arguing that the endorsement "puts to rest this notion that there's some tension between him and former President Obama." Milton wasn't surprised, however, that some Black voters said Obama's endorsement alone wasn't enough to win their support.
"I think so often we take for granted the fact that many of the voters are informed voters, all of them are informed voters, and so it's not just the fact that Obama supported him, thus I'm going to vote for Abdul. A lot of folks are doing their own research," Milton told Fox News Digital. "They're very curious about Abdul. They see a lot of him on social media, in the media, national media as well. And so it has raised eyebrows and a lot of curiosity around who this guy is."
Obama’s endorsement comes as both sides are trying to eke out every possible advantage they can in what is likely to be a very tight race.
Fox News’ most recent Power Rankings has Michigan’s Senate race categorized as a "toss-up," meaning that neither party has an edge.
A representative for Obama and the El-Sayed campaign did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Friday.