Abdul El-Sayed Assures Black Voters He’s Not Like The Other Arabs

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed said during a recent interview that some black Detroiters’ experiences with “somebody who looks like me” involve being “talked at from behind bulletproof glass,” catcalled, and sold single cigarettes at gas stations and stores. 

During an interview with “The Root” publisher Ashley Allison, El-Sayed said some black Detroiters’ “experience with somebody who looks like me is not a good one.”

“You go into a gas station. You go to a party store. You’re being talked at from behind bulletproof glass,” El-Sayed said. “If you’re a woman, you’re being catcalled. If you’re a kid, you’re being sold a loosie out back. Being denied a bathroom.”

“I’ve always tried to be on the right side of that,” he continued. “But I also understand that, like, if that’s your experience with somebody whose name is like mine, that leaves a terrible taste in your mouth.”

The remarks were part of a broader conversation about El-Sayed’s efforts to connect his political outlook with the legacy of the civil rights movement. They come as he works to secure black support against Republican Mike Rogers in a race that could determine control of the Senate.

El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) by less than a percentage point in the August Democratic primary. RealClearPollings’ average of polls conducted from late September through mid-October showed El-Sayed leading Rogers by under three points, a margin that leaves little room for a drop in Democratic turnout.

Rev. Charles Williams II, pastor of Detroit’s Historic King Solomon Baptist Church, warned CNN about the risks of weak turnout.

“If even a sliver of people don’t turn out, you run into a huge challenge in trying to get your candidate over that line,” Williams said.

Some black voters have questioned El-Sayed’s outreach. In a discussion reported by The Daily Wire, several black voters expressed frustration with El-Sayed’s outreach, with one saying Democrats should not assume black voters will support a candidate simply because of their party affiliation.

“I think he’s taking advantage that we, as black people, are Democratic and he thinks we’re going to vote for him anyway,” she said. “And I’m like no sir.”

Another said El-Sayed needed to explain how he would represent the community directly: “If you’re going to Congress to represent me, I need you to talk about what’s going on in this community.”

Rogers, a former Republican congressman, has courted voters in Detroit, Flint, and Pontiac, and opened a campaign office on Detroit’s Livernois Avenue.

Some black Republicans have praised Rogers’ outreach. Naura Evans, a teacher and mother of two who appears in a Rogers campaign advertisement, said she believes Democrats have taken black voters for granted and that Republicans deserve a hearing.

“It’s very important that we elect the right people,” Evans said. “As blacks in our community, we show that our vote matters. We’re not just giving the vote away.”

El-Sayed has mocked Rogers’ efforts, describing the Republican’s Detroit office opening as a “cute little office” where Rogers brought suburban supporters to applaud him.

But Charity Dean, a Detroit coffee shop owner and president of the Michigan Black Business Alliance who supports El-Sayed, cautioned against dismissing Rogers’ outreach.

“Everything should be taken seriously,” Dean said. “This is not a year where we take anything for granted.”

A clip from the interview showing El-Sayed eating fried chicken with a fork and knife also drew mockery online. 

Former President Barack Obama is scheduled to campaign with El-Sayed in Detroit on October 24, joining other prominent Democrats who have rallied behind the nominee as he attempts to unite the party after a divisive primary.

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