El Sayed faces challenge to bridge Black and Arab communities

DETROIT (MNTV) – U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El Sayed is making a direct effort to strengthen ties with Black leaders and organizations in Michigan as he seeks to unify Democrats after winning the primary campaign.

El Sayed defeated U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary and will now face former Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers in the general election. Although Stevens endorsed El Sayed shortly after conceding, parts of the Democratic establishment remained reluctant to rally behind his candidacy.

The divisions are particularly visible in Detroit, where political tensions intersect with longstanding friction between the city’s predominantly Black population and its large Arab American community.

Detroit Council member at large Mary Waters was recently photographed with Rogers and his wife, Kristi, at Clique restaurant. The meeting came shortly after Waters criticized local Democratic leaders for excluding her from an official party unity breakfast.

Waters later discussed the issue on Charlie Langton’s Fox 2 program, Detroit Talk City, raising questions about whether the party’s calls for unity extend to Democrats who supported Stevens during the primary.

It remains unclear whether Waters or other Stevens supporters, including Scott Benson and Renata Miller, will endorse El Sayed.

The candidate has also faced direct hostility over his Arab and Muslim identity. During an Aug. 19 press conference at Spirit Plaza in downtown Detroit, an older Black man interrupted El Sayed and shouted that he was Arab and did not care about Black people.

The confrontation reflected tensions that had already surfaced during the primary. Stevens was forced to distance herself from a comment made by a supporter who referred to El Sayed as a Muslim in a derogatory manner.

El Sayed now faces the difficult political task of convincing Black voters that his campaign is not simply seeking their support, but genuinely understands their concerns and the structural inequalities affecting Black communities.

The challenge is complicated by longstanding economic and social tensions between Black Detroiters and Arab American business owners, particularly those operating gas stations and liquor stores in predominantly Black neighborhoods. 

Some Black residents have described these relationships as largely transactional, while Arab American families have also faced discrimination and racial hostility.

El Sayed has attempted to confront those tensions directly rather than avoid them.

“I am Arab, but I am also African,” El Sayed told the Michigan Chronicle, arguing that efforts to divide communities according to race and ethnicity overlook the complexity of identities and shared experiences.

El Sayed has made similar remarks before, describing himself as both Arab and African because his family immigrated to the United States from Egypt. 

The claim has nevertheless drawn criticism online, underscoring the political sensitivity surrounding identity in a campaign already shaped by racial, ethnic and religious divisions.

At a campaign gathering hosted by Wayne County Black Democratic Caucus chair Frank D. Woods, El Sayed addressed the relationship between Black communities and Arab American business owners with unusual bluntness.

He argued that Arab American communities should recognize that the racism they experience cannot simply be separated from the much deeper structural racism confronting predominantly Black communities.

El Sayed also credited Black Americans and other minority communities with helping create the political conditions that enabled later immigrant communities to establish themselves in the United States.

Woods, who supports El Sayed, argued that the candidate’s poor showing in Detroit was driven partly by misinformation and negative campaigning during the primary.

He pointed to attacks involving former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, saying voters were given misleading impressions about El Sayed and Stevens. Woods also disputed suggestions that Stevens had received an endorsement from Barack Obama.

The political damage from those claims may prove difficult to reverse. In a close primary, perceptions can matter as much as policy, particularly when racial, religious and ethnic identities become central to political messaging.

Detroit City Council member Denzel McCampbell, who attended the gathering at Woods’ home, said the event was not simply a room filled with El Sayed supporters. Instead, he described attendees as voters who wanted to determine for themselves whether the candidate deserved their support.

McCampbell said he believes El Sayed’s outreach to Black voters is genuine, while acknowledging the broader frustration that has created tensions between Black and Arab American communities.

He argued that both major parties have failed to deliver what Black voters need and that Democratic leaders can no longer rely on traditional appeals for loyalty without addressing underlying grievances.

The Republican campaign is attempting to exploit that dissatisfaction.

Rogers recently appeared with Democratic state Rep. Karen Whitsett at an event on Detroit’s west side, presenting himself as a candidate willing to listen to voters regardless of their party affiliation.

Rogers said Democrats who believe their nominee does not represent their values should consider supporting him, while insisting that he is seeking trust rather than simply asking voters to become Republicans.

But McCampbell dismissed Rogers’ outreach as political opportunism, arguing that appearances at community events and public gatherings cannot erase a Republican record that he believes has harmed Black communities.

The competing strategies reveal the central political battle now emerging in Michigan. El Sayed is attempting to build a coalition around shared economic interests, racial justice and a broader definition of community, while Rogers is seeking to capitalize on Democratic dissatisfaction and divisions within the party.

For El Sayed, however, winning the general election will require more than defeating a Republican opponent. He must first persuade skeptical Black voters, moderate Democrats and parts of the party establishment that his campaign can overcome the racial, religious and ethnic tensions exposed by the primary.

The contest is therefore becoming a test of whether Michigan Democrats can transform a divisive primary into a broader coalition, or whether the fractures exposed during the campaign will continue to weaken the party heading into the general election.