Former President Barack Obama brought his campaign voice back to Detroit on Saturday night. Speaking to thousands of supporters at Cass Technical High School, he urged Michigan voters to back Abdul El-Sayed for the U.S. Senate and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for governor as early voting got underway across the state.

The stop capped Obama's first weekend of in-person campaigning this fall. Earlier in the day he rallied in Cleveland for Amy Acton, the Democratic pick for Ohio governor. He also backed former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is trying to win back his old seat.

In Detroit Obama framed the Nov. 3 election as a test of values more than a fight over prices or policy. He called the vote a circuit breaker that could bring accountability back to Washington. He said Democrats need to show voters real plans to lower health care costs, make housing affordable and rein in utility bills.

A message about names and faith

El-Sayed, a physician and former Wayne County health official, has faced a steady stream of attacks over his Muslim faith and his name. A protest staged outside the school on Saturday echoed those attacks. Obama told the crowd he knows that playbook well from his own 2008 run, when critics went after his name and his background.

Those who profit from a broken system will use fear and division to paint a candidate as less American, Obama said. Then he added, "We have seen this movie before. I starred in it."

El-Sayed returned the praise. He said watching a skinny guy with a funny name win the presidency showed him what was possible. When people point out that his first name is Abdul, he said, he reminds them that Obama's was Barack.

Mending fences after a tough primary

The rally was Obama's first public show of support for El-Sayed. The two have not always agreed. El-Sayed, a Medicare for All backer, once described the Affordable Care Act as only an incremental fix. Obama addressed that head on. He said allies will not agree on every detail and joked that Michelle Obama does not agree with everything he does either.

He said El-Sayed would finish the work that began with the health care law by pushing to guarantee quality affordable coverage for every American.

El-Sayed won a bruising August primary over Rep. Haley Stevens but struggled to win over many Black voters in Detroit, a city that is more than three-fourths Black. Backing from Obama could help him firm up support there. If El-Sayed wins he would become the first Muslim member of the U.S. Senate.

A close race for the Senate seat

El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman who narrowly lost a 2024 Senate race to Elissa Slotkin. A mid-October poll of likely voters had El-Sayed at 50 percent and Rogers at 48 percent, a gap within the margin of error. Republicans have not won a Michigan Senate race in about 25 years but view the seat as one of their best pickup chances.

Benson is running against Republican Rep. John James. Polls have shown her ahead, though she told the crowd not to get comfortable. A James victory would make him the first Black governor in the state's history.

Slotkin also spoke at the rally, along with Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, who is running for secretary of state. Slotkin told the crowd that Michigan likes to elect fighters.