Al-Sayed gets closer to Obama: "I hope he will join me on the campaign trail"

Abdul Al-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for the Senate in Michigan who won the primaries last week after a campaign in which he pledged to vote against support for Israel, revealed that he spoke with former US President Barack Obama and expressed hope that the latter would even join him on the campaign trail ahead of the November elections. This was reported by NBC News.

"It was a warm and inspiring conversation," Al-Sayed said on the network's "Meet the Press" program. According to him, he thanked Obama for his advice and added that the former president "understands the critical role that Michigan will play in holding President Donald Trump accountable, in taking back the Senate, and in building the future that we need."

When asked if Obama is expected to join him on the campaign trail during the fall, Al-Sayed replied: "I really hope so."

Al-Sayed won by a small margin on Tuesday against House member Haley Stevens in the Democratic primaries for the Senate in Michigan. The progressive candidate's victory has reignited a debate within the Democratic Party about the direction it is heading, and in particular about the growing power of the progressive wing.

Al-Sayed, who previously served as a county health department director, enjoyed the support of some of the most prominent names on the American left in the primaries, including Senator Bernie Sanders and House members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ro Khanna.

One of the central issues in the campaign was Israel. Al-Sayed pledged that if elected to the Senate, he would vote against support for Israel, and repeatedly attacked Stevens for the support she received from AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby in Washington. According to NBC News, he made his opponent's ties to the organization one of the cornerstones of the campaign against her, taking advantage of the decline in support for the Israeli government among Democrats.

Stevens, who represented the more moderate wing of the party, received support in the amount of tens of millions of dollars from industry players and AIPAC. Despite the tense election campaign, after her loss she lined up behind Al-Sayed and clarified that there is "no drama" between the two.

The storm around Hasan Piker

During the interview, Al-Sayed was also asked about his ties to media personality and progressive Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who previously stated on a live broadcast that "America deserved 9/11." Piker has since apologized for the remarks.

Al-Sayed defined the statement as "stupid," but argued that bringing it up again is "trap politics." He refrained from committing not to appear alongside Piker during the general election campaign, and emphasized that he is interested in reaching his millions of followers as well.

"I am less concerned right now with the question of who I am campaigning with, and much more with the question of who I am reaching out to," he said. According to him, a victory in November will require him to build a broad coalition of voters.

Al-Sayed also addressed the Republican attacks against him, after the National Republican Senatorial Committee released videos in which he was presented by his full name - Abdulrahman Mohamed Al-Sayed, and called "radical" and "dangerous."

According to him, the use of his full name is reminiscent of the way Obama's opponents used to emphasize his full name, Barack Hussein Obama. "We always knew they would go there," he said. "Notice how they chose to use my full name, as an exact echo of what they did to President Obama."

Al-Sayed added that "it is not a radical position to think that people should be able to afford to buy groceries, it is not a radical position to think that you should have healthcare in this country."

Democrats line up behind him

Despite the disputes in the primaries, senior Democratic Party officials rushed to line up behind Al-Sayed ahead of the general elections. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he had a "very good conversation" with him, and declared: "We are going to win in Michigan. We will beat Rogers and take back the Senate."

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has also already appeared alongside him on the campaign trail, and Democratic Senator Chris Murphy announced that he intends to come to the state and assist him.

Al-Sayed will face Republican candidate Mike Rogers in November, in a race that is expected to be one of the closest and most significant battles for control of the Senate. Beyond the identity of the next senator from Michigan, the race may become a national test for the Democratic Party: whether a candidate clearly identified with the progressive wing - including a tough line against American support for Israel - is capable of winning a general election in a key swing state.