DETROIT, MI (WTVB) – The battle for control of the U.S. Senate reached a fever pitch in Michigan this weekend as President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama held dueling rallies to boost their respective party’s candidates.
As early in-person voting got underway across the state on Saturday, Obama kicked off theweekend with a heavily attended rally in Detroit, campaigning fiercely on behalf of progressive Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed. During his speech, Obama dismissed the political attacks leveled against El-Sayed, framing them as attempts to make the candidate look “less American” and comparing it to the false birtherism claims he faced during his own presidency.
He also addressed past policy disagreements with El-Sayed by joking that even First Lady Michelle Obama does not always agree with him, emphasizing that they ultimately share the exact same core values.
The political spotlight shifted to eastern Michigan on Sunday when President Donald Trump arrived in Port Huron to secure support for Republican nominee Mike Rogers. Joined onstage by music star Nicki Minaj at the McMorran Place Sports and Entertainment Center, Trump vigorously defended his economic record and slammed El-Sayed, generating significant national controversy by leveling unsubstantiated claims that tied the Democratic candidate to extremist groups.
With Republicans defending a narrow 53-47 Senate majority, the competing visits by two of the nation’s most prominent political figures underscored the immense strategic value of Michigan’s open Senate seat, which remains a key toss-up just days before voters finalize control of Congress.
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