Democrat Senate candidate Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed is polling weaker than other statewide Democrats in Michigan, recent surveys revealed.
An Emerson College poll looked at the races and showed Michigan likely voters choosing El-Sayed over Republican candidate Mike Rogers by two percentage points – 48 percent to Rogers’ 46 percent.
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However, the results for the governor’s race are far more decisive in favor of the Democrat candidate, Jocelyn Benson, who sees 49 percent support. Republican John James sees 42 percent support — a seven percent gap.
Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, noted the “substantial educational divide in the Senate race,” specifically pointing out that voters without a college degree give Rogers a three-point edge, while those with a college degree favor El-Sayed by nine points.
Notably, El-Sayed’s two-point lead is within the poll’s +/- 3 margin of error. The poll was taken September 12-14, 2026, among 1,000 likely voters.
A Washington Post/Shar School survey told a similar story of El-Sayed trailing statewide Democrats in his race against Rogers. That survey also showed El-Sayed leading Rogers by three percentage points – 48 percent to the Republican’s 45 percent support. Once again, Benson outperforms Republican opponent James far better than El-Sayed performs against Rogers. Benson sees 53 percent support, which is 12 percentage points higher than James’s 41 percent support.
The surveys come on the heels of Rogers calling on Muslim El-Sayed to return the money he has received from terrorist organizations including the Council on American-Islamic Relationships (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood. A press release from Rogers revealed that El-Sayed has taken “nearly $130,000 from donors with identified connections to CAIR.”
“I guess when Abdul claims he wants ‘money out of politics,’ he doesn’t count terrorist organizations. As a former Army officer and House Intelligence Chair, I spent my life fighting to defeat terrorist organizations. Abdul cashes checks from them,” Rogers said in a statement.
Mike Rogers speaks at a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony in Oakland County, Michigan, on September 11, 2026. (Mike Rogers for Senate)
He added, “It’s absolutely disqualifying and an insult to the brave men and women who’ve risked their lives in service to this great country. Abdul, return the money.”
The news also comes on the heels of the Detroit News endorsing Rogers in the Senate race, deeming him “clearly the best choice.”
Failed presidential candidate Kamala Harris plans to campaign alongside El-Sayed in hopes of tipping the scale in his favor.
