El-sayed Looks Forward to Campaigning With Obama After Call

WHO:

AP - Abdul El-Sayed stated that he was grateful for Obama's advice and described their conversation as "very warm, very inviting."

ABC News - Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, spoke with Barack Obama.

CNN - El-Sayed described his conversation with Obama as “really warm” and expressed gratitude for his advice.

Fox News - Michael LaRosa, former press secretary to Jill Biden, will not support Abdul El-Sayed, citing his association with Hasan Piker.

NBC News - Abdul El-Sayed is the Michigan Democratic Senate nominee.

NBC News - Barack Obama is the former President of the United States.

WHAT:

CNN - El-Sayed stated, “I was really grateful for his advice, and we’ve got a long road to go here, but we’re perfectly unified in the need to win Michigan, take back the Senate, and hold Donald Trump accountable.”

NBC News - El-Sayed emphasized that Obama “knows a lot about winning Michigan” after carrying the state in the 2008 and 2012 presidential races.

NBC News - El-Sayed described his conversation with Obama as “really warm and inspiring” and expressed hope that Obama would campaign with him ahead of the general election.

CNN - El-Sayed expressed that he hopes to build a coalition to win Michigan, similar to Obama's strategies in his presidential campaigns.

IJR - El-Sayed outlined plans to leverage Trump administration officials if the Democrats gain control of the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections.

ABC News - El-Sayed stated that he hopes Obama will campaign with him as the party tries to unite after a contentious primary.

CNN - El-Sayed acknowledged that the internal divisions within the Democratic Party are "so much smaller than the similarities that we share."

Fox News - LaRosa criticized El-Sayed for not distancing himself from Piker, who made controversial remarks about the September 11 attacks.

Fox News - LaRosa stated, “I won’t defend or support anyone who is too cowardly to stand up to extremists who think the mother of my best friend... deserved what happened to her.”

AP - El-Sayed described his conversation with Obama as “really warm and inspiring” and expressed gratitude for Obama’s advice.

AP - El-Sayed stated that he “really” hopes Obama will come to Michigan to drum up support for Democrats before the midterm elections in November.

AP - El-Sayed narrowly beat establishment-backed U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in a contentious primary.

AP - El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers, who narrowly lost the Senate race to Democrat Elissa Slotkin in 2024.

AP - Rogers has released a video message attempting to appeal to Democrats who feel their party may be moving too far to the left with El-Sayed, stating, “You have a home with us.”

NBC News - Abdul El-Sayed confirmed he spoke with Barack Obama.

NBC News - El-Sayed expressed hope to campaign with Obama this fall.

WHEN:

NBC News - El-Sayed hopes to campaign with Obama in the fall of 2026.

WHY:

NBC News - The conversation with Obama occurred as Michigan Democrats seek to unite after a bitter primary that exposed deep rifts between its progressive and moderate wings.

NBC News - El-Sayed emphasized the importance of uniting the party to retain Michigan's critical Senate seat in November.

ABC News - The conversation with Obama occurred as Michigan Democrats seek to unite after a bitter primary that exposed deep rifts between its progressive and moderate wings.

Fox News - LaRosa's criticism highlights a growing fault line within the Democratic Party regarding extremism and acceptable political rhetoric.

NBC News - El-Sayed described the conversation with Obama as "warm and inspiring."

HOW:

CNN - El-Sayed acknowledged that "we aired our differences” in the heated primary but stated that the internal divisions are "so much smaller than the similarities that we share.”

CNN - El-Sayed acknowledged the need to court voters who supported Haley Stevens, stating, "We might see the world differently. But we also recognize the responsibility to come together."

CNN - El-Sayed discussed the need to build a coalition to win Michigan, similar to Obama's strategies in his presidential campaigns.

NBC News - El-Sayed discussed his conversation with Obama during an interview on Meet the Press.

(UPDATED August 10, 2026 02:40 UTC)

In a recent conversation, El-Sayed expressed gratitude for President Obama's advice, emphasizing their shared goal of winning Michigan, reclaiming the Senate, and holding Trump accountable. He described the discussion as "really warm and inspiring," and he hopes Obama will join him on the campaign trail ahead of the general election. As Michigan Democrats work to unify after a contentious primary that revealed significant divisions, El-Sayed acknowledged their differences but insisted that their commonalities are far greater.

(UPDATED August 10, 2026 01:20 UTC)

Abdul El-Sayed expressed gratitude for the advice he received from Obama, describing their conversation as "very warm, very inviting." He hopes to build a coalition to win Michigan, drawing inspiration from Obama's successful strategies, while also outlining plans to leverage Trump administration officials if Democrats gain control of the Senate in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. El-Sayed emphasized the importance of uniting the party to retain Michigan's critical Senate seat in November, acknowledging the need to court voters who supported Haley Stevens by recognizing their shared responsibility to come together.

(UPDATED August 9, 2026 23:03 UTC)

Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, described his recent conversation with Barack Obama as "really warm" and expressed gratitude for the former president's advice. El-Sayed hopes Obama will join him on the campaign trail as Michigan Democrats work to unite after a contentious primary that highlighted divisions within the party. He emphasized the importance of building a coalition to win Michigan, drawing parallels to the strategies Obama used during his presidential campaigns.

(UPDATED August 9, 2026 18:04 UTC)

Michael LaRosa, who previously served as press secretary to Jill Biden, has announced that he will not support Abdul El-Sayed due to El-Sayed's association with Hasan Piker, who has made controversial comments about the September 11 attacks. LaRosa criticized El-Sayed for failing to distance himself from Piker, stating, “I won’t defend or support anyone who is too cowardly to stand up to extremists who think the mother of my best friend... deserved what happened to her.” This criticism underscores a widening divide within the Democratic Party concerning issues of extremism and the standards of political discourse.

(UPDATED August 9, 2026 17:06 UTC)

El-Sayed described his recent conversation with Obama as “really warm and inspiring,” expressing gratitude for the former president's advice and hoping he will visit Michigan to rally support for Democrats ahead of the midterm elections in November. El-Sayed narrowly defeated establishment-backed U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in a contentious primary and is now set to face Republican Mike Rogers, who previously lost the Senate race to Democrat Elissa Slotkin in 2024. In an effort to attract disillusioned Democrats, Rogers has released a video message stating, “You have a home with us.”

(UPDATED August 9, 2026 16:05 UTC)

Abdul El-Sayed has been confirmed as the Michigan Democratic Senate nominee and recently shared that he spoke with Barack Obama, the former President of the United States. El-Sayed described their conversation as "warm and inspiring," and expressed hope to campaign alongside Obama in the fall of 2026. This discussion took place during an interview on Meet the Press, where El-Sayed outlined his aspirations for the upcoming campaign.