Despite big name endorsements (including Governor Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin), Rep. Haley Stevens came up short in the U.S. Senate Democratic Primary. She was edged out by Abdul El-Sayed. Notwithstanding my own personal reservations about El-Sayed, one cannot detract from his victory or his well organized campaign.
But it’s inevitable in a close race to ruminate on what went wrong for the losing candidate. What the Stevens campaign lacked (and what the candidate deserved) was support from former President Barack Obama. Stevens made much of her assistance to Obama when the latter arranged for the bailout of the domestic auto industry early in his first term. She featured herself in several ads which included the former president acknowledging her role.
Unfortunately, Stevens was not able to garner an endorsement from Obama. Had the former president involved himself in the senate primary race, it might have made all the difference in boosting the voter turnout in Detroit (where Stevens ran strong). Indeed, had Obama endorsed Stevens and come to Michigan to campaign for her, it’s most conceivable that Stevens would have won the primary.
Perhaps the candidate did not seek the former president’s endorsement. But more likely is that she didn’t find the former president approachable. Obama could have offered his endorsement and Stevens would most certainly have accepted it. And just as certain is that it would have made a difference.
This is an opinion piece and my opinion is that Obama was inconsiderate. The race received national attention and Obama was aware that all eyes were on Michigan (except for his own). He could have and should have come to Michigan to help tip the scale in favor of Stevens. That he didn’t does not speak well of Obama.
But why had Obama not appeared on behalf of Stevens? It was the least he could have done. And this is the same Barack Obama whom El-Sayed derided. Not only had Obama a debt to Stevens, he had a legitimate political score to settle with El-Sayed. Let’s also not forget this is the same El-Sayed who urged people to vote uncommitted in the 2024 Democratic Presidential Primary, which was at the expense of Joe Biden and later that year at the expense of Kamala Harris.
My guess is that Obama has little or no regret over El-Sayed defeating Stevens in the primary. For El-Sayed, being a Democrat is secondary to identifying himself as a so-called progressive hostile to Israel and indifferent to waging U.S. values on the world. Then consider Obama early in his first presidential term speaking in Cairo, Egypt, and blaming the U.S. for the tragic failures of the Third World. In other words, Barack Obama is a bit of a progressive himself.
By the way, the UAW betrayed a lack of gratitude as well. The bailout of the auto industry implemented by Obama was every bit a bailout as well of the UAW. Despite the union protesting the concessions it had made at the time, the American taxpayer brought the industry back (with assistance from Haley Stevens). UAW President Shawn Fain should urge the membership to endorse candidates who had been there when the time counted. Instead, the UAW endorsed El-Sayed (in solidarity with the union’s newfound animus toward the Jewish state).
As for the general election, it’s no secret that El-Sayed faces an uphill fight this fall against Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate seat. No doubt either that El-Sayed will look to Obama for support. Unfortunately, polls released during the primary race showed El-Sayed losing to Rogers in a general election (the same polls showed Stevens in a dead heat with Rogers). An endorsement from Obama might have lifted Stevens out of this dead heat.
John O’Neill writes a twice weekly political column.