LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Former Vice President Kamala Harris is returning to the campaign trail. Harris narrowly lost in Michigan to President Trump two years ago. She went back to join Democratic Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed at an event in Detroit. Michigan Public Radio's Russ McNamara reports.
RUSS MCNAMARA, BYLINE: The fracture within the Democratic Party over Israel's military action in Gaza was felt acutely in the swing state of Michigan in 2024, a state with a high percentage of Arab and Muslim voters. At the time, El-Sayed criticized both the Biden administration and then Vice President Harris for continuing to supply weapons to Israel. On Tuesday, the pair appeared to have smoothed over any rift in Detroit during a roundtable on Black maternal mortality.
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KAMALA HARRIS: So I think we're at the point of our new relationship where I'ma now call you Abdul.
ABDUL EL-SAYED: Perfect. Please.
(LAUGHTER)
MCNAMARA: The endorsement by Harris attempts to solve a problem facing El-Sayed. Black voters in Detroit largely voted for his Democratic opponent, Congresswoman Haley Stevens, in the primary election. In turn, El-Sayed could help draw Arab and Muslim voters back to Harris if she decides to run for president again in 2028. At a news conference earlier in the day, El-Sayed, who ultimately endorsed Harris for president in 2024, says he's heard from other voters about regretting their choice to either sit out or vote for President Trump two years ago.
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EL-SAYED: I think if a lot of us could have had that back, had 2024 back, we would have thought about things in different ways. And I hope that moving forward, we don't reinforce the mistakes of the past that break us apart.
MCNAMARA: Speaking to a room full of healthcare professionals, former VP Harris is now backing him up.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
HARRIS: The United States Senate should be a stopgap on the abuses of this administration, and I would suggest to you that the fellow sitting to my right would be one of them when elected.
MCNAMARA: First, El-Sayed will need to defeat former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers in November. His campaign released a statement saying El-Sayed is, quote, "parachuting Harris in to save his campaign" (ph).
For NPR News, I'm Russ McNamara in Detroit. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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