Former President Barack Obama will likely campaign for Abdul El-Sayed, the far-left Democrat who just won Michigan’s U.S. Senate primary.

The two spoke after the primary, and El-Sayed publicly said he hopes Obama will campaign for him. Michigan could determine control of the Senate, and Obama remains the most popular Democrat.

El-Sayed won despite performing poorly among black primary voters. His coalition skewed younger, whiter, college-educated and progressive. In Detroit, Michigan’s largest majority-black city, El-Sayed’s opponent won more than 60% of the Democratic Senate vote. That may work in a Democratic primary. But will it work in November?

Enter Obama.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Obama visited a Kamala Harris campaign office in Pittsburgh and said he wanted to “speak some truths.” He complained that enthusiasm for Harris was weaker than when he ran and said the problem “seems to be more pronounced with the brothers.”

Obama said: “You’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses. I’ve got a problem with that,” he said, suggesting some Black men “just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president.”

Apparently, some of “the brothers” remained unpersuaded. Pew Research Center’s validated-voter analysis later estimated that 21% of black men voted for Donald Trump. Nevertheless, Obama will probably go to Michigan and explain to black voters who rejected El-Sayed in the primary why they should vote for him in November. After all, Obama and El-Sayed are closely aligned on policy.

Take healthcare. El-Sayed supports Medicare for All. Obama repeatedly said the ideal healthcare plan would be single-payer. “If I were starting a system from scratch,” Obama said in 2009, “then I think that the idea of moving towards a single-payer system could very well make sense.” Near the end of his second term, Obama said, “If I was starting from scratch, I probably would have supported a single-payer system.”

Then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called it a goal. Asked in 2013 whether Obamacare was ultimately a step toward single-payer healthcare, Reid answered, “Yes, yes. Absolutely, yes.”

Like Obama, El-Sayed chastises “the rich” for “not paying their fair share in taxes.” Like Obama, who said racism is part of the America’s “DNA,” El-Sayed believes racism remains a serious problem.

How far from Obama are these “far-left” Democrats? Last year, Obama called Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani during his campaign for New York City mayor, praised his campaign and reportedly offered to serve as a “sounding board.”

On Israel, there isn’t much daylight between the two. El-Sayed has called the Israeli government “evil,” “bloodthirsty” and a “rogue state.” He declined to directly answer when asked, “Do you believe Israel has a right to exist?” Obama never went that far. He repeatedly defended Israel’s legitimacy and security.

But Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly clashed. Netanyahu fiercely opposed Obama’s Iran nuclear deal, warning that Tehran could not be trusted. Israel obtained an archive of Iranian nuclear documents that Netanyahu said proved Iran was lying about its nuclear-weapons activities and was not abiding by the terms of the deal. The Obama-Netanyahu relationship became so poisonous that a senior Obama administration official reportedly called Netanyahu “chickens—.” The White House distanced itself from the insult, but the hostility between the two leaders was no secret.

What explains El-Sayed’s weakness among black primary voters? In 2020, he explicitly said, “I believe we need to defund the police.” Polls show blacks want the level of policing in their community to remain the same, if not increased. Blacks are disproportionately victims of crime. Tupac Shakur said: “The same crime element that white people are scared of black people are scared of … Just because we black, we get along with the killers? What is that? We need protection, too.”

El-Sayed wants to abolish ICE, despite studies showing a connection between unskilled illegal aliens and lower wages and greater unemployment among black workers in the same skill group.

This brings us back to Obama. El-Sayed needs black voters who did not particularly want him. Democrats need Michigan to gain control of the senate.

So, expect the former president to show up. And when he does, Obama will give “the brothers” a message. You may not have wanted this candidate. His positions may be against your self-interests.

But vote for him anyway.

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