El Sayed polling tight with Rogers while other Democrats dominate in Michigan

Michigan Senate Democratic nominee Abdul el Sayed remains in a razor-thin race with Republican rival Mike Rogers despite Democrats holding leads in the state, highlighting the unusual political dynamic at play less than seven weeks out from the midterm elections. El Sayed holds a 3% lead over Rogers, at 48% to 45% among likely voters, putting the contest within a 3.9-point margin of error, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll released Thursday. That contrasts with Democrat Jocelyn Benson’s 12-point lead over GOP Rep. John James in Michigan’s gubernatorial race, and the state’s overall preference for Democrats to control the Senate by an 8-point margin. The latest polling appears to reflect some of the mixed feelings Democrats have about el Sayed, whom critics have accused of being antisemitic. It also follows a recent trend of endorsements and boosts for both Rogers and el Sayed. Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday confirmed she will campaign for el Sayed ahead of the general election, marking a critical signal Democrats are lining up behind his campaign. Another Democrat, former Michigan Rep. Sander Levin, a Jewish politician with deep ties in the state, also sought to boost el Sayed’s campaign this week with an endorsement, despite his “significant disagreement” with the candidate’s views on Israel. On the other side, the Detroit Regional Chamber on Thursday endorsed Rogers, saying it backed many of his economic policies, similar to the National Roofing Contractors Association’s backing of the GOP candidate earlier this week, citing confidence that he would create a “strong business environment for entrepreneurs.” The Detroit News, which regularly issues endorsements on both sides of the aisle, on Wednesday said it backed Rogers, expressing concern that el Sayed is “radical,” noting he demurred on support for Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, and expressing concern that he brought in Hasan Piker “as a closer for his primary election campaign.” The development comes as the Senate race has gained nationwide notice, both for the part it will play in determining whether Republicans retain control of the Senate, and for el Sayed’s controversial alliance with Piker. El Sayed campaigned with the Twitch streamer and political activist multiple times this year, up through Aug. 3, the eve of the primary. In the stretch leading into the general election, el Sayed has distanced himself from Piker to an extent, while still repeatedly defending him for holding views “I deeply agree with.” An enthusiastic socialist known for regularly espousing a Marxist worldview, Piker’s advocacy has stirred the waters due to his controversial statements on a variety of issues, including Jews and Israel. On Thursday, he waded into the fires again by declaring that the United States is “worse” than al Qaeda, the radical Islamist terrorist network that carried out the 9/11 attacks, arguing that Washington has “caused tremendous terror.” The same day, Piker reiterated that he makes such “incendiary” statements as part of his overall goal to unlock “class consciousness” in the U.S. He argued that people in the U.S. don’t realize they are the victims of an oppressive system, because the “violence” against them is “made to be invisible,” but noted he is starting to see a shift, in part because of “the successes of the pro-Palestine movement.” “The expectation from the white moderate or the expectation from people who enjoy the order that exists in civilized society is that people are not supposed to fight back and try to even match the intensity or the violence of the occupation, the colonial entity, or the forces of police brutality that are defending white supremacy,” Piker said during an appearance on MS Now’s Clock It. “That’s the reason why I bring this argument forward.” El Sayed continued to distance himself from Piker on Thursday, saying he does “not agree with this statement [on al Qaeda], nor do I give much weight to the statements made by a social media streamer.”El Sayed holds a range of socialist-style positions. He wants to eliminate medical debt and institute Medicare for All. He has appeared to concede that the middle class, or those earning under $1 million, will face higher taxes to finance his progressive healthcare model. He supports a wealth tax on those earning over $100 million, along with a capital gains tax hike, a personal income tax hike, and the elimination of corporate tax breaks. On housing, el Sayed has vowed to target “corporate landlords against unfair evictions,” wants to ban large corporations from owning homes, and supports barring algorithmic rental price-fixing software that he says allows landlords “to collude to raise rent.” The Democrat candidate also wants to pause artificial intelligence development, and has endorsed as “a really good way forward” Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-VT) proposal for the government to control over half of the largest AI companies, put a one-time 50% tax on their stock, and give Washington direct influence over their decision-making. Ahead of the general election, voters in Michigan appear to remain undecided about whether to hand the Senate seat to Sayed or Rogers, as polling consistently indicates the race is within the margin of error.That contrasts with other races, such as Benson’s campaign against James. Before the Washington Post poll released Thursday showed her with a 12-point lead against the Republican gubernatorial candidate, an Emerson College survey handed her a 7-point lead, and a CNN poll gave her a 9-point advantage.As she runs in a battleground state viewed as a pickup for Republicans, Benson has veered toward the mainstream wing of the Democratic Party, favoring more establishment-friendly policies and messaging than progressive upheaval favored by candidates such as el Sayed.SENATE DEMOCRATS EMERGE UNITED BEHIND ABDUL EL SAYED AFTER CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGUnlike el Sayed, Benson holds the trappings of incumbent political power. She is currently Michigan’s secretary of state, a position she has held since 2019. Still, Benson faces a historical disadvantage, as the incumbent gubernatorial party typically loses.The Washington Post-Schar School poll was conducted by telephone Sept. 10-14, 2026, among a random sample of 803 likely voters in Michigan, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9%.