Rapper Common performed at a get-out-the-vote rally in Detroit on Monday night in support of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, on the eve of Michigan’s midterm election. Video of the performance circulated on social media that evening.
El-Sayed is running against Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman, in a closely watched race for the Senate seat. Recent polling has shown El-Sayed with a lead, though the margin has varied depending on the survey.
A statewide poll conducted by Mitchell Research & Communications for CBS Detroit and other Michigan television stations, fielded Oct. 26-27 among likely voters in the Nov. 3 general election, found El-Sayed ahead of Rogers by 7 percentage points, according to CBS News.
A separate tracker, FiftyPlusOne, which aggregates polling data from sources including The New York Times and YouGov, showed El-Sayed leading by 5 points as of Monday, according to USA Today.
Stevens Breaks With Democratic Nominee
The race took an unexpected turn over the weekend when Democrat Haley Stevens, who lost to El-Sayed in the party’s primary, announced she was endorsing Rogers.
“Hey Michigan, as you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away, and he’s right. That’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United State Senate today,” Stevens said.
Stevens elaborated on her reasoning in further remarks.
“I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign. I do not stand with Hasan Piker, who gets trafficked on our college campuses. A dear friend of mine earlier today was saying that education is on the ballot and she is absolutely right. What our students see, what our children see, and who we are as Michiganders is not hate. And is not what we are getting out from our Democratic nominee right now,” she said.
Common has previously campaigned on behalf of Democratic candidates, and his Detroit appearance adds a high-profile moment to the final hours of a race that remains competitive heading into Election Day.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login