Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is seeking conservative support in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, emphasizing health care and household costs ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
About 60% of voters in the region backed Donald Trump in 2024, Michigan Public Radio’s Russ McNamara reported. The Upper Peninsula has had no Democratic member of the U.S. House since former U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak declined to seek reelection in 2010.
McNamara reported that El-Sayed made three stops across the peninsula last week. The trip ended at a Marquette rally where he answered criticism from Vice President JD Vance, held at Northern Michigan University. In Escanaba, he asked supporters to talk with conservatives they know about Medicare for All and money’s role in politics.
El-Sayed told reporters that Upper Peninsula residents dislike paying more for gasoline and groceries. Health care is another local concern: McNamara reported that many residents must travel at least 100 miles to see a specialist. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data cited in his report show nearly one in three residents are enrolled in Medicare, while 7% lack health insurance.
Republican state Rep. Karl Bohnak, who supports former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, told McNamara he knew little about El-Sayed’s platform but questioned how Medicare for All would be financed.
Stupak said the visits could help El-Sayed connect with voters across party lines. Stupak, who backed former U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary, told Michigan Public Radio that some of El-Sayed’s positions gave him pause. He said he had not voted and wanted to see how the race developed.
McNamara said support from rural conservatives might count for little if El-Sayed could not secure his Democratic base. The Associated Press has said the race may affect which party controls the Senate. El-Sayed and Rogers face voters Nov. 3.
