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 turnoff 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. BLACK VOTERS RIP DEMS OVER TAKING THEM FOR GRANTED IN EL-SAYED'S BACKYARD: ‘HUSH US UP’ "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. MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE ABDUL EL-SAYED SAYS LEADERS MUST ADDRESS ‘UNPAID DEBTS’ TO BLACK COMMUNITIES 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.
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.
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