Abdul El-Sayed says he hopes to campaign with Obama after phone call to discuss campaign

2026 ElectionAbdul El-Sayed says he hopes to campaign with Obama after phone call to discuss campaignThe Michigan Senate candidate also disavowed previous comments about 9/11 made by Twitch streamer Hasan Piker. Add NBC News to GoogleAbdul El-Sayed says he spoke with Obama after primary win, hopes he’ll campaign for him01:32Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleAug. 9, 2026, 10:22 AM EDTBy Alexandra MarquezAbdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, on Sunday confirmed that he spoke to former President Barack Obama following his primary victory last week, adding that he hopes the former president joins him on the campaign trail this fall.“It was a really warm and inspiring conversation,” El-Sayed told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” about his call with the former president. “I was grateful for his advice,” he added. “It was very warm, very inviting, and I know that he knows the critical role that Michigan is going to play in holding [President Donald] Trump accountable, in winning back the Senate, and in building forward the future that we need.”Asked by “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker whether the former president plans to join El-Sayed on the campaign trail this fall, the Democratic Senate nominee said, “I really hope so.”Abdul El-Sayed; Barack Obama.Getty Images fileEl-Sayed on Tuesday narrowly beat Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens in the state’s Democratic primary for Senate, kicking off a fresh round of dialogue nationally about the future of the Democratic Party. El-Sayed, a physician and former county health department director, won the primary with the backing of several heavyweight progressive national figures, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.On Sunday, El-Sayed dismissed concerns about his support in Michigan after Stevens and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who ran in the primary but suspended her campaign in July, drew more votes combined than the eventual Dem...