LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Democrats have a problem in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, and it isn’t just Republican Mike Rogers. It’s that a surprising number of Black voters appear willing to support him over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed.

A new InsiderAdvantage poll shows Rogers receiving 33% support among Black voters, a striking number for a Republican candidate in a state where Democrats have traditionally counted on overwhelming support from that voting bloc.

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And suddenly, former President Barack Obama’s recent trip to Detroit to campaign for El-Sayed looks less like a routine political appearance and more like an effort to shore up a key Democratic constituency.

One-Third of Black Voters Back Rogers

The InsiderAdvantage survey, conducted October 21–22 among 1,200 likely Michigan voters, shows El-Sayed leading Rogers statewide 47.2% to 46%, within the poll’s 2.83% margin of error.

But the racial breakdown tells another story.

Among the 132 Black respondents, only 47% supported El-Sayed, while 33% backed Rogers. Another 10.2% remained undecided, and the rest supported third-party candidates.

That means fewer than half of the Black voters surveyed supported the Democratic candidate.

The results also show Rogers leading among white voters, 51% to 45.3%, while El-Sayed holds a substantial advantage among voters of other racial backgrounds, 62.2% to 21.2%.

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The Black voter findings are based on a relatively small subgroup, making them less precise than the statewide results. Still, they add to questions about El-Sayed’s support in a constituency important to Democrats.

Obama Heads to Detroit

Those concerns didn’t begin with the InsiderAdvantage poll.

An October 11 report in The Guardian cited polling showing that while 83% of likely Black voters wanted Democrats to control the U.S. Senate, only 67% supported El-Sayed.

That gap helps explain why Democrats have been paying considerable attention to Detroit. Obama joined El-Sayed at a Detroit rally on October 24, hoping to energize Black voters and encourage turnout ahead of Election Day.

El-Sayed Takes His Campaign to the Barbershop

And when you’re struggling to connect with Black voters, a trip to the barbershop becomes part of the campaign strategy as well. On Tuesday, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed posted a video on X showing his visit to a salon and barbershop in Grand Rapids.

Interestingly, El-Sayed recently told a Detroit audience that he considers political pandering disrespectful. Whether his latest barbershop outreach wins over skeptical voters or simply gives critics another opportunity to accuse him of pandering remains to be seen.

Can Democrats Close the Gap?

With Election Day just days away, El-Sayed’s barbershop visit and Obama’s Detroit appearance underscore Democrats’ efforts to shore up Black voter support. But if Rogers comes anywhere close to capturing 33% of that vote, Democrats could find themselves watching one of their most reliable voting blocs help turn Michigan’s Senate seat red.