LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The United Auto Workers Union (UAW) is backing two Democratic candidates in major Michigan races.

A critical race.

The UAW is endorsing Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for governor and U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. The UAW said the gubernatorial race is “a critical race that sets us up for our May Day 2028 plans.” However, it did not specify those plans.

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“More than ever, we need to elect a leader in Lansing that stands alongside the UAW against corporate interests – and we know what side Jocelyn Benson is on,” a UAW statement said. “As Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson has proved she’s not afraid to stand up against the most powerful billionaires in the name of working-class Michiganders across the state.”

Benson, who also scooped up an endorsement from former Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Monday, is running against Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson. He’s positioned himself as the candidate for the blue collar worker. He posted a direct message to UAW workers on social media, saying he will “continue to fight” for people, regardless of endorsements.

The Republican gubernatorial candidates are former Attorney General Mike Cox, Congressman John James, businessman Perry Johnson, and Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt.

“Out of touch.”

In the meantime, the UAW’s support behind El-Sayed appears to be a sharp rebuke over the campaigns of U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, El-Sayed’s rivals in the three-way primary race.

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For the GOP, U.S. Senate candidate and former Congressman Mike Rogers appears to provide a contrast on the other side of the ballot. Greg Manz, the senior communications advisor for the Michigan Republican Party, said this move proves how the UAW is “increasingly out of touch” with rank-and-file workers.

“This endorsement confirms what many Democrats have feared for months: Abdul El-Sayed’s radical agenda is gaining traction inside a party that continues its lurch to the left. El-Sayed is a leading cheerleader for socialized medicine, pushing a government-run Medicare for All scheme that would put unelected bureaucrats between patients and their doctors while threatening the jobs and benefits of hardworking union families.”

Michigan’s primary is Tuesday, Aug. 4.