Michigan’s most iconic and storied labor union, the United Auto Workers, has thrown its endorsement to former Wayne County and Detroit health director Abdul El-Sayed in the race for the Democratic nomination to the state’s open U.S. Senate seat.
By doing so, the UAW bolsters the surging campaign of El-Sayed, the most progressive-leaning candidate in a tight three-person race to win the Party’s nomination Aug. 4 and take on the presumptive Republican nominee, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, of White Lake.
“UAW members in Michigan want a fighter in Washington, D.C. who isn’t afraid to push forward a strong working-class agenda with moral clarity. Having never taken a dime from corporate PACs, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is someone we can trust to have our backs,” the labor union said in a post on social media platform X on Friday, June 5.
“From Medicare for All to banning stock buybacks, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is ready, eager, and well-equipped to move our core issues in the U.S. Senate,” the post said.
Although the Free Press rarely writes individual stories about political endorsements, it does so when they suggest a significant impact on or a change in a key political race. In this case, the UAW is throwing its political weight not behind the more centrist Democratic candidates — U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow of Royal Oak — but El-Sayed, who has never been elected to political office and has been endorsed by progressive stalwarts including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, and U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit.
El-Sayed, of Ann Arbor, is the son of Egyptian immigrants and has a medical degree, as referenced in the UAW’s endorsement message, though he has never been a practicing physician.
All of the candidates are vying for key endorsements from labor unions and the UAW’s is considered among the prime nods sought in Democratic politics, even though the union’s sway isn’t as far-reaching as it once was. The support of some of its blue-collar members has also been said by none other than Republican President Donald Trump to be integral to his wins in Michigan in 2016 and 2024.
But it is still a notable gain for El-Sayed, who polling averages show with a modest lead in the Democratic primary to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Gary Peters. Even so, some other Democrats have argued that as the most progressive candidate, El-Sayed may face a tougher time than Stevens or McMorrow of beating Rogers. Some other critics of El-Sayed’s have bashed him for campaigning with Hasan Piker, an Internet influencer they say is antisemitic, a claim he denies.
The UAW endorsement is a particular blow to Stevens, a four-term congresswoman who has been a staunch union backer and proponent of Michigan’s auto industry in Congress. In 2009-10, Stevens even served as the de facto chief of staff to then-President Barack Obama’s task force that helped rescue General Motors and Chrysler when they were facing financial ruin, an effort credited with saving much of the industry and scores of auto jobs.
Joetta Appiah, a spokesperson for Stevens’ campaign, put out a statement June 5 that did not directly address the UAW’s endorsement of El-Sayed. Instead it reiterated Stevens’ history of supporting the auto industry and said “it is more important than ever to elect someone who will fight every day to protect our jobs and Michigan’s economy.”
The UAW currently represents 300,000 active and retired Michigan members, El-Sayed’s campaign said, noting that he has rallied with UAW members on several occasions, as have the other Democratic candidates.
“I am deeply honored and proud to have earned the support of the UAW,” El-Sayed said. “Michigan union autoworkers built the American middle class and proved that when people stand together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish. Unlike campaigns powered by corporate PAC (political action committee) money, AIPAC (the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, a staunch pro-Israel group backing Stevens) and Washington insiders, our campaign is built alongside workers and union members.”
“Together, we’re going to take on corporate greed, rebuild an economy that works for working people, strengthen collective bargaining and ensure that the future of Michigan manufacturing is built right here by union workers,” he said. “Solidarity forever.”
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on X @tsspangler.
This story has been updated with new information.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: UAW endorses Abdul El-Sayed in U.S. Senate race
Reporting by Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
