Abdul El-Sayed joins city and union leaders at Detroit rally
With eight days left until the general election, the battle for Michigan's U.S. Senate seat continues to be one of the most closely watched races.
Both candidates were back on the campaign trail Monday, and the United Auto Workers held a press conference for Dr. Abdul El-Sayed.
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed was back in Detroit, meeting with city council members and representatives from local unions.
"You have a choice between a corporate-backed politician who made millions off of his time in public service, who wants to do the bidding of the worst president to ever serve in the office, Donald Trump, who cannot stand up to the wrong war, cannot stand up to the tariff war, and will certainly not stand up for Detroiters," El-Sayed said.
El-Sayed is endorsed by the UAW.
The reason, according to James Cotton, the president of Local 22, is that El-Sayed supports the working class.
"He's the only candidate in the race that would have our backs, our people's backs, the unions' backs, and Detroit's. Some of our biggest corporations spend billions of dollars on attack ads that are negative, but we're not falling for it. It's a divide-and-conquer trick, which is the oldest trick in the book," Cotton said.
The Detroit Federation of Teachers cited a 1999 law passed by the Michigan Legislature, while Mike Rogers was a state senator, that stripped Detroit of the ability to elect a school board.
"Detroiters lost their right to elect a school board. The only school board in the state of Michigan that did not have elected members. Our city's rights were disenfranchised, plain and simple. Lest we not forget," Lakia Wilson-Lumpkins, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said.
That's why the largest teachers' union says it is backing El-Sayed.
"We are going to stand by the candidate that has a proven record that is an ally for our students, our children, the families that they serve, and of course, education, public education," Wilson-Lumpkins said.
Meanwhile, Mike Rogers made several stops on his bus tour on Monday, primarily on the west side of the state.
In recent weeks, Rogers has been building a coalition in Detroit that includes some Democrats.
In response to the UAW press release, his campaign issued this statement:
"Contrarily, Democrats for Mike Rogers has taken off because Detroiters are ready for a leader who shows up for them instead of taking them for granted. Mike not only shows up, he shows up with solutions — he'll fix our schools, help young Michiganders buy homes, and continue to deliver on his record of success."
