Obama to campaign for Abdul El-Sayed in Detroit for final stretch before midterms

Former President Barack Obama will campaign alongside Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Detroit later this month, lending his support to the progressive nominee after a bruising Democratic primary exposed divisions within the party.Obama will appear with El-Sayed at an Oct.24 rally that will also feature other top Democratic candidates in Michigan, including Jocelyn Benson, the party’s nominee for governor.

Obama is getting significantly more involved in the midterm elections, with additional campaign stops and advertisements expected to come in the closing weeks, according to plans shared first with The Associated Press.The Detroit event is a notable show of support for El-Sayed, who defeated moderate Rep.Haley Stevens in an August primary and has since worked to consolidate Democratic support in his race against Republican Mike Rogers.

The open seat is expected to be among a handful that will decide which party controls the majority next year.Obama taped two dozen ads last week for Democratic candidates for governor and Senate that will be released in the coming days and weeks, in addition to more campaign stops soon to be announced.He appeared earlier this year in a campaign ad with Iowa Senate candidate Josh Turek and campaigned in Texas with Senate candidate James Talarico and the candidate for governor, Gina Hinojosa.This week, he will headline a Washington fundraiser supporting Democratic Senate candidates.El-Sayed defeated Stevens by less than a percentage point in a primary that became a national test of the Democratic Party’s ideological direction.

El-Sayed drew support from leading progressives, including Vermont independent Sen.Bernie Sanders and Democratic Rep.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.Stevens was backed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.Some ads that supported Stevens showed Obama praising her, and she outperformed El-Sayed in Wayne County, winning about 51% of the Democratic primary vote compared with 45% for El-...