Abdel Rahman Al-Sayed, the Democratic Senate candidate, retracts his criticism of Obama

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Abdul Rahman Al-Sayyid “Abdul,” the Democratic candidate for the US Senate elections in the state of Michigan, said on Sunday that he appreciates the legacy of former US President Barack Obama, stressing that the Democratic candidates in the 2026 elections “stand on the shoulders of giants,” in reference to Obama, in response to previous criticism he directed at his presidential performance.

Al-Sayed's statements came during an interview with Kristen Welker, host of the "Meet the Press" program on NBC News, who asked him about his previous positions on Obama, especially an article he published in the Huffington Post after the former president's re-election in 2012, in which he said: "Obama was not the right choice, but he was not the wrong choice."

Al-Sayed had previously criticized aspects of Obama's record, including the deportations of immigrants and the expansion of the use of drones in war in the Middle East, among other issues.

Al-Sayed said in response to Welker's question: “We have now lived through two terms of President Donald Trump. I know that President Obama was handed a very difficult set of circumstances, and that he did his best.”

He added that his election campaign and the Democratic candidates in 2026 may adopt a different approach than the approach followed by the Obama administration, but he stressed that their difference comes as a result of learning from his experience and building on what he achieved.

He said: "But the point is that we are adopting a different approach in some aspects because we have learned from what he did, and because we stand on the shoulders of giants."

Al-Sayed expressed his gratitude for Obama's presence in the White House during his younger years, saying that he would not have imagined himself running for political office had it not been for that experience.

He also praised Obama's ability to deal with pressure, describing him as having elegance, sobriety and commitment in difficult circumstances.

He pointed out that the former president received a heavy legacy of problems during the era of former Republican President George W. Bush, and was able to deal with them.

Al-Sayed said that going through the political experience makes one realize how difficult it is to bring about change and the importance of continuing to work to achieve it.

Obama participates in the campaign in Michigan

Obama is scheduled to participate in an election rally to support Al-Sayyed in the city of Detroit on October 24, coinciding with the first day of in-person early voting in the state of Michigan. This is about a month after former US Vice President Kamala Harris participated in Al-Sayyed’s campaign.

Obama will also participate in election events alongside Joycelyn Benson, the Democratic candidate for Michigan Governor.

Al-Sayed said in a statement issued last Tuesday that he "can't wait" for Obama to return to Michigan, describing him as a defender of access to health care and a historic pioneer of our time.

He added: "He knows what it means to meet the needs of the people of Michigan, and that is why he won our state twice," noting that Obama's support represents great importance in the battle to put families in Michigan as a top priority, reduce the cost of living and end what he described as Trump's chaos in Washington.

In the context of the electoral competition, Decision Desk HQ, the electoral partner of The Hill newspaper, suggested that Al-Sayyed would win the Senate seat with a probability of 70%, compared to 30% for Republican Representative Mike Rogers, who is seeking to retain the seat and overcome his Democratic rival.