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Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed speaks at Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) 'Fighting Oligarchy' rally in Detroit on May 3, 2026.
(Photo by Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
El-Sayed Announces 'We Can Do Better' Tour Across Michigan to Hear From Biden-to-Trump Voters
"Democrats can’t win back voters they refuse to hear," the candidate said. "So we’re coming to listen."
May 22, 2026
Progressive US Senate hopeful Dr. Abdul El-Sayed announced plans to barnstorm his state of Michigan next month as part of an effort to win back voters Democrats lost to President Donald Trump in 2024.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris won about 67,500 fewer votes in the Wolverine State in 2024 than former President Joe Biden did in his victory over Trump in 2020. Trump, by comparison, won more than 166,000 additional voters in 2024 than four years earlier.
El-Sayed, who recent polls show leading in the Democratic primary for the state's open Senate seat, will attempt to reach out to these "Biden-Trump" voters with the simple message: "We can do better."
Beginning on June 12, the former Detroit health director plans to travel to the cities of Allen Park, Dearborn Heights, and Clinton Township, and the counties of Muskegon, Saginaw, and Genesee—each of which saw particularly large swings from Biden to Trump during the last election.
El-Sayed's campaign noted that while each of these shares the commonality of heavy shifts toward Trump, "they represent different perspectives, demographics, and communities."
Muskegon, Saginaw, and Genesee are all lower-income counties where the high inflation and cost of living during the Biden administration played a major role in their rightward swings. Dearborn Heights, meanwhile, has one of the nation's largest Arab-American communities, and Harris saw tremendous losses there due to her support for Israel as it committed genocide in Gaza.
But with Trump's agenda only exacerbating inflation and removing economic lifelines for the working class, while ramping up foreign wars and support to Israel, Democrats have an opportunity to win back these voters.
They might need every last one of them: Current polls show November's general election is virtually tied, regardless of whether El-Sayed or one of his opponents—Rep. Haley Stevens or state Sen. Mallory McMorrow—emerge victorious in the August primary.
"It shouldn’t be this hard,” said El-Sayed in a statement promoting the tour on Friday. “People are paying too much for gas, groceries, rent, and healthcare. Instead of asking why people are fed up, too many politicians on both sides of the aisle are hell-bent on protecting a broken system, rather than taking on the corporations and special interests that have made life so hard."
El-Sayed has thus far found success as the sole candidate in his primary to champion Medicare For All—especially salient as hundreds of thousands of Michiganders are slated to lose Medicaid coverage in the coming years from GOP budget cuts.
In one of America's largest manufacturing hubs, he's tapped into the state's history of labor organizing—calling for stronger union protections and checks on job-killing artificial intelligence. And he's positioned himself as a leading crusader against "oligarchy" by swearing off super PAC donations and promoting taxes on billionaires' capital gains.
He's denounced the US government's "blank-check" funding of foreign militaries, including Israel, but also other authoritarian regimes like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.
The campaign said the communities where El-Sayed plans to travel are those "where frustration with the status quo translated into lost Democratic support in the 2024 election."
Unlike the traditional town hall format, where voters ask candidates questions, El-Sayed is planning to "open the floor to voters in swing communities to voice their frustrations, needs, and concerns."
"I’m interested in hearing and learning from the folks the establishment has left behind," El-Sayed said. "We can and must do better.”
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Progressive US Senate hopeful Dr. Abdul El-Sayed announced plans to barnstorm his state of Michigan next month as part of an effort to win back voters Democrats lost to President Donald Trump in 2024.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris won about 67,500 fewer votes in the Wolverine State in 2024 than former President Joe Biden did in his victory over Trump in 2020. Trump, by comparison, won more than 166,000 additional voters in 2024 than four years earlier.
El-Sayed, who recent polls show leading in the Democratic primary for the state's open Senate seat, will attempt to reach out to these "Biden-Trump" voters with the simple message: "We can do better."
Beginning on June 12, the former Detroit health director plans to travel to the cities of Allen Park, Dearborn Heights, and Clinton Township, and the counties of Muskegon, Saginaw, and Genesee—each of which saw particularly large swings from Biden to Trump during the last election.
El-Sayed's campaign noted that while each of these shares the commonality of heavy shifts toward Trump, "they represent different perspectives, demographics, and communities."
Muskegon, Saginaw, and Genesee are all lower-income counties where the high inflation and cost of living during the Biden administration played a major role in their rightward swings. Dearborn Heights, meanwhile, has one of the nation's largest Arab-American communities, and Harris saw tremendous losses there due to her support for Israel as it committed genocide in Gaza.
But with Trump's agenda only exacerbating inflation and removing economic lifelines for the working class, while ramping up foreign wars and support to Israel, Democrats have an opportunity to win back these voters.
They might need every last one of them: Current polls show November's general election is virtually tied, regardless of whether El-Sayed or one of his opponents—Rep. Haley Stevens or state Sen. Mallory McMorrow—emerge victorious in the August primary.
"It shouldn’t be this hard,” said El-Sayed in a statement promoting the tour on Friday. “People are paying too much for gas, groceries, rent, and healthcare. Instead of asking why people are fed up, too many politicians on both sides of the aisle are hell-bent on protecting a broken system, rather than taking on the corporations and special interests that have made life so hard."
El-Sayed has thus far found success as the sole candidate in his primary to champion Medicare For All—especially salient as hundreds of thousands of Michiganders are slated to lose Medicaid coverage in the coming years from GOP budget cuts.
In one of America's largest manufacturing hubs, he's tapped into the state's history of labor organizing—calling for stronger union protections and checks on job-killing artificial intelligence. And he's positioned himself as a leading crusader against "oligarchy" by swearing off super PAC donations and promoting taxes on billionaires' capital gains.
He's denounced the US government's "blank-check" funding of foreign militaries, including Israel, but also other authoritarian regimes like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.
The campaign said the communities where El-Sayed plans to travel are those "where frustration with the status quo translated into lost Democratic support in the 2024 election."
Unlike the traditional town hall format, where voters ask candidates questions, El-Sayed is planning to "open the floor to voters in swing communities to voice their frustrations, needs, and concerns."
"I’m interested in hearing and learning from the folks the establishment has left behind," El-Sayed said. "We can and must do better.”
From Your Site Articles
- Sanders to Rally for Abdul El-Sayed as New Poll Shows Tightening Democratic Primary Race in Michigan ›
- Embracing Medicare for All and Refusing Corporate Cash, Abdul El-Sayed Touted as 'True Progressive' in Michigan Governor's Race ›
- Abdul El-Sayed's Grassroots Campaign Energizes Michigan Voters ›
- Backed by 80% of Voters Under Age 45, El-Sayed Up by Double Digits in Michigan Poll ›
- Abdul El-Sayed Applauded for Condemning AIPAC at Fighting Oligarchy Rally in Detroit ›
Progressive US Senate hopeful Dr. Abdul El-Sayed announced plans to barnstorm his state of Michigan next month as part of an effort to win back voters Democrats lost to President Donald Trump in 2024.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris won about 67,500 fewer votes in the Wolverine State in 2024 than former President Joe Biden did in his victory over Trump in 2020. Trump, by comparison, won more than 166,000 additional voters in 2024 than four years earlier.
El-Sayed, who recent polls show leading in the Democratic primary for the state's open Senate seat, will attempt to reach out to these "Biden-Trump" voters with the simple message: "We can do better."
Beginning on June 12, the former Detroit health director plans to travel to the cities of Allen Park, Dearborn Heights, and Clinton Township, and the counties of Muskegon, Saginaw, and Genesee—each of which saw particularly large swings from Biden to Trump during the last election.
El-Sayed's campaign noted that while each of these shares the commonality of heavy shifts toward Trump, "they represent different perspectives, demographics, and communities."
Muskegon, Saginaw, and Genesee are all lower-income counties where the high inflation and cost of living during the Biden administration played a major role in their rightward swings. Dearborn Heights, meanwhile, has one of the nation's largest Arab-American communities, and Harris saw tremendous losses there due to her support for Israel as it committed genocide in Gaza.
But with Trump's agenda only exacerbating inflation and removing economic lifelines for the working class, while ramping up foreign wars and support to Israel, Democrats have an opportunity to win back these voters.
They might need every last one of them: Current polls show November's general election is virtually tied, regardless of whether El-Sayed or one of his opponents—Rep. Haley Stevens or state Sen. Mallory McMorrow—emerge victorious in the August primary.
"It shouldn’t be this hard,” said El-Sayed in a statement promoting the tour on Friday. “People are paying too much for gas, groceries, rent, and healthcare. Instead of asking why people are fed up, too many politicians on both sides of the aisle are hell-bent on protecting a broken system, rather than taking on the corporations and special interests that have made life so hard."
El-Sayed has thus far found success as the sole candidate in his primary to champion Medicare For All—especially salient as hundreds of thousands of Michiganders are slated to lose Medicaid coverage in the coming years from GOP budget cuts.
In one of America's largest manufacturing hubs, he's tapped into the state's history of labor organizing—calling for stronger union protections and checks on job-killing artificial intelligence. And he's positioned himself as a leading crusader against "oligarchy" by swearing off super PAC donations and promoting taxes on billionaires' capital gains.
He's denounced the US government's "blank-check" funding of foreign militaries, including Israel, but also other authoritarian regimes like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.
The campaign said the communities where El-Sayed plans to travel are those "where frustration with the status quo translated into lost Democratic support in the 2024 election."
Unlike the traditional town hall format, where voters ask candidates questions, El-Sayed is planning to "open the floor to voters in swing communities to voice their frustrations, needs, and concerns."
"I’m interested in hearing and learning from the folks the establishment has left behind," El-Sayed said. "We can and must do better.”
From Your Site Articles
- Sanders to Rally for Abdul El-Sayed as New Poll Shows Tightening Democratic Primary Race in Michigan ›
- Embracing Medicare for All and Refusing Corporate Cash, Abdul El-Sayed Touted as 'True Progressive' in Michigan Governor's Race ›
- Abdul El-Sayed's Grassroots Campaign Energizes Michigan Voters ›
- Backed by 80% of Voters Under Age 45, El-Sayed Up by Double Digits in Michigan Poll ›
- Abdul El-Sayed Applauded for Condemning AIPAC at Fighting Oligarchy Rally in Detroit ›
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