OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
7:30 AM – Saturday, August 8, 2026
Former U.S. Vice President and failed presidential candidate Kamala Harris has announced her support for Abdul el-Sayed, the Democrat nominee in the U.S. Senate race to represent Michigan.
"Dr. Abdul El-Sayed understands that the power is with the people, and that the stakes couldn't be higher in this election," Harris said in a statement on Friday.
"While Michiganders struggle to afford everyday essentials — housing, gas, groceries, health care, and child care — [President Donald] Trump and Republicans in Congress are giving away $1 trillion in tax breaks to the wealthy and powerful," she lamented. "Abdul knows that we need bold solutions to the crises facing America's working families, and he is ready to take on this fight. I proudly stand with him to ensure we won a Democratic Senate majority in November."
El-Sayed is a progressive who narrowly defeated his more centrist opponent, Representative Haley Stevens, in the Democrat primary in Michigan this week, going on to face the Republican nominee, former Representative Mike Rogers, in November.
The candidate hailed Harris's endorsement on his social media.
"Vice President @KamalaHarris understands the key role control of the US Senate plays in lowering prices for Michiganders and holding Trump accountable," said El-Sayed. "To achieve a Senate majority in 2026, we need to win Michigan, and that means beating Mike Rogers."
"Trump and his allies prey on our divisions—which is why it's so important to bring communities together right now," he continued. "Her support in this race is critical to building an unstoppable coalition against Rogers, Trump, and their assault on our rights and democracy. Just like I stood with her in her effort to defeat Trump, I'm so humbled and grateful for her support in this race to defeat his minion Mike Rogers."
Vice President @KamalaHarris understands the key role control of the US Senate plays in lowering prices for Michiganders and holding Trump accountable. To achieve a Senate majority in 2026, we need to win Michigan, and that means beating Mike Rogers. Trump and his allies prey on… pic.twitter.com/su28YGoC80
— Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) August 7, 2026
El-Sayed, who previously ran for governor of Michigan in 2018 and lost the Democrat primary to Governor Gretchen Whitmore (D-Mich.), is the child of Egyptian immigrants.
His primary against Stevens became a proxy for the wider tension between the progressive and centrist factions within the Democrat Party. He was endorsed by progressive and, in some cases, Democratic Socialist figures, including Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), as well as Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).
Stevens was supported by retiring incumbent Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), a more mainstream Democrat, former Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
Currently, 53 Senate seats belong to the Republican Party, and 43 are held by Democrats, in addition to two Independents who caucus with them. Democrats need to gain four seats to hold a majority of the upper chamber in the last two years of Trump's presidency.
Trump won Michigan in 2024, but Rogers was defeated in the state's open Senate race by Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.).
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