Democrats target Macomb County with a first-ever joint town hall featuring El-Sayed, Slotkin

The importance of Macomb County to Michigan Democrats’ 2026 playbook was on full display Saturday as U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin joined U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed for a joint town hall event that focused on unity, bridging the divide between moderates and progressives, and the outsized impact county residents could have on the election.

As part of El-Sayed’s “Shouldn’t Be This Hard” town hall tour, the Democratic nominee heaped praise on Slotkin (D-Holly), noting that while they may not agree on some things, they do agree on the key hallmarks of Democratic Party values. They also share the belief, he said, that President Donald Trump’s tenure in the White House needs more forceful checks and balances from Democrats in Congress.

El-Sayed faces a tough battle against Republican U.S. Senate nominee and former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of White Lake on Nov. 3. Slotkin previously defeated Rogers for the same office in 2024. No matter who wins, Slotkin will ascend to the role of the state’s senior senator.

Slotkin said Saturday that she needs El-Sayed in the role of junior senator if the Democrats plan to properly combat the abuses of the Trump administration and make real change for working families across Michigan.

“We have this fight over moderate versus progressive, or young versus old. And I want to tell you, being your senator for over 18 months, sitting in those rooms, that debate of moderate versus progressive is not the real debate,” Slotkin said. “The real debate among Democrats right now is fight versus flight. It is: Do you believe that in order to have the country we believe in, we got to fight for it? Or do you believe that if you just wait, Elissa — and I’ve had someone tell me this, ‘Elissa, politics is a long game. It’s cyclical. If you just wait, we don’t have any good tools right now. If you just wait, people will come back to us, and it’ll all be okay.’”

Slotkin said that simply wasn’t good enough, and that waiting out the Trump administration without any real pushback was not only a losing strategy for the party, it defies the wishes of the electorate that is looking for a real opposition party to the Republicans under Trump.

“I am on Team Fight,” Slotkin said. “And I need someone with me who is on Team Fight.”

Slotkin said that person was El-Sayed.

The Democratic nominee opened his portion of the town hall with his usual campaign fare — dishing on the need for Medicare for All, the ravages of the Iran war on the American economy, and the urgency for the party to take back the U.S. Senate majority, not only to hold Trump accountable, but to also push back against his administration’s department heads.

El-Sayed has, in particular, expressed opposition to the policies of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

On Slotkin, El-Sayed said the senator was “someone who does not back down, who does not hesitate to show up when people are in need, somebody who understands what it means to throw down when Michiganders need you to throw down.”

Slotkin, in a plea to voters, said that if El-Sayed wins, Michigan’s delegation would be the youngest in U.S. history, and they would also be the only delegation to have collectively rejected corporate PAC money in their respective campaigns for the U.S. Senate.

There’s also the possibility, should El-Sayed be victorious in November, that the delegation would be one that defeated the same Republican candidate for the same office in two back-to-back election cycles.

Slotkin said that would be an exciting proposition for voters, especially those in Macomb County. She added that she would not be a current U.S. senator without Macomb voters.

“You all have been the county, honestly, that decides more elections in the state of Michigan, and sometimes more elections than the entire country,” Slotkin said. “People know the name Macomb County, like even when they don’t live in the state of Michigan. You all are the deciders in many of our elections, and I only won because we did a couple of clicks better here.”

El-Sayed said that Macomb County typically gets put in the “red” category, but he’s betting on changing the narrative.

“I don’t see any ‘red’ folks here. Frankly, I don’t see any ‘blue’ folk here either,” El-Sayed said. “I see folks who are sick and tired of watching the president make light of our plights. I see folks who are sick and tired of having to worry about how they’re going to afford next month’s rent. … I see folks who are ready to get out the vote every day for the next 30 days.”