'The panic is palpable': El-Sayed facing opposition from key Michigan Democrat groups weeks before election

While polling suggests Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is leading the Senate race in Michigan, members of key Democrat-leaning demographics say he hasn't earned their votes, even as absentee ballots have already begun to trickle in.

Like others in the Rust Belt, Michigan is a purple state. Michigan voted for President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2024, but went for President Joe Biden in 2020. It also currently has a Democrat executive branch and state Senate but a Republican House.

'The exodus of Jewish and black Democrats from Conman Abdul El-Sayed's camp exposes his crumbling coalition.'

While Trump won Michigan in 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris carried Wayne County, which includes Detroit, and Oakland County, which has a high Jewish population. That same year, Democrat Elissa Slotkin barely squeaked by Republican Mike Rogers in the U.S. Senate race by just 0.34%.

So it's no wonder that in 2026, El-Sayed and Rogers are in a tough battle for the open seat soon to be vacated by Democrat Sen. Gary Peters.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Blaze News Poll Watch has El-Sayed with an edge of 2.6%, and, according to CNN, El-Sayed has already predicted he will win by seven points.

Yet frank admissions by high-profile Michigan Democrats as well as black and Jewish voters suggest he may actually have some ground to make up in his own party.

RELATED: ‘Not someone who can be trusted’: Anti-Trump Detroit newspaper rips El-Sayed in Rogers endorsement

Democrat Rep. Hillary Scholten, who represents a district in Western Michigan, was caught on a video dated September 26 admitting that the El-Sayed campaign still has a lot of work to do "to connect with the black community."

In an MS NOW clip that went viral this week, one black female said, "We don't know him," while another said: "He's taking advantage that we, as black people, are Democratic, and he think we're gonna vote for him anyway, and I'm like, 'No, sir.'"

An MS NOW panel of pro-Israel Democrats similarly expressed skepticism of El-Sayed — with good reason.

A former staffer for his campaign is under federal indictment in connection with anti-Semitic attacks, his family members have been linked to Islamic terrorist groups, and he infamously responded to the Hezbollah-inspired attack on Temple Israel in March by saying, "Hurt people hurt people."

"I can't vote for Abdul El-Sayed because, once again, he's going against something that's innately me," said one Jewish mother.

"I might go to Mike Rogers," said another.

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, who is Jewish, indicated that the El-Sayed team has not made overtures for his support and that he may ultimately not vote for him. "If he doesn’t need me, he doesn’t need me," Schor stated, according to CNN.

Democrat Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is also Jewish, initially distanced herself from El-Sayed but ultimately endorsed him.

In the last week, Blaze News has received multiple text messages from Nonnegotiable Michigan, a group of Democrat-voting Jews in Michigan who launched a month ago in part to "call on El-Sayed and Democratic candidates to affirm baseline commitments to Jewish safety and identity."

"We've always shown up overwhelmingly for Democrats — but our support requires us to feel safe and valued in the party that has been our political home," read a message delivered Sunday.

Scholten and the El-Sayed campaign did not respond to requests for comment from Blaze News.

RELATED: Obama rushes to rescue Abdul El-Sayed in Detroit — GOP issues scathing response

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Greg Manz, senior communications director for the Michigan GOP, characterized El-Sayed as a "conman" who "has repeatedly brushed off concerns from black voters" even as he is being "bankrolled by elements tied to the Muslim Brotherhood."

"The exodus of Jewish and black Democrats from Conman Abdul El-Sayed's camp exposes his crumbling coalition," Manz said in a statement to Blaze News.

"The panic is palpable."

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