Democrats Sanders, AOC rally behind El-Sayed in Grand Rapids ahead of U.S. Senate primary

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally published by The Lanthorn. ONN is republishing it with permission.

GRAND RAPIDS — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) stood behind U.S. Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El Sayed at a campaign stop in Grand Rapids Sunday evening, ahead of a significant Aug. 4 primary. 

Speakers addressed the 2,678 in attendance with a sense of intensity and urgency, tackling a wide range of issues including healthcare, education, the cost of living, AI, the war in Gaza and ICE. 

El-Sayed is a former health director in Wayne County and Detroit and a gubernatorial candidate in 2018. He has campaigned on a promise to keep corporate money out of politics, more heavily tax billionaires and establish universal health insurance in the U.S. The rally at DeVos Performance Hall was the third that weekend, after stops in Detroit and Lansing.

Democrats hope to flip control of the House and the Senate this November, and Michigan could play a key role in the outcome. Ocasio-Cortez said this would be vital in preventing corruption she has observed in Washington.

“If we do not take back the House and the Senate this fall, we’re going to make it a whole lot easier for them and for (Trump) and his cronies to do that,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “So Michigan, we have no time to waste.”

El-Sayed called for a major change in U.S. politics, a system he described as a “disease” of which President Donald Trump was the worst symptom.

“The disease is the system that allows corporations and billionaires and special interests like AIPAC to buy and sell politicians to rig the system against us,” El-Sayed said. “We gotta pay more for all we gotta buy, get paid less for the work we do, and watch as our tax dollars get misappropriated abroad to drop bombs on other people, instead of building schools for our own.”

A significant point of contention in the race has been the nearly $30 million donated by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to Democratic candidate Haley Stevens. Sanders said the election was of national importance because of El-Sayed’s attempt to take on a “billionaire class” he believes is controlling the country and attempting to buy the election.

“At a time when we have never had so much concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the few, these guys own it all,” Sanders said. “They control the economy, control the media and now what they want to do is control the United States Senate as well.”

El-Sayed called for more heavily taxing billionaires, and joked about the rally being held in DeVos Performance Hall.

“It’s high past time that the billionaires get taxed on their wealth,” El-Sayed said. 

Both Sanders and El-Sayed also harshly criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza and directly called for an end to U.S. military aid to foreign governments, asserting that Michigan tax money should stay in the state.

“When I pay my taxes, I’m not thinking, damn, I can’t wait for Israel to get another tank, I can’t wait for Egypt to get another bomb,” El-Sayed said. “I pay my taxes so kids get schools and kids get healthcare; we finally pave those roads. We are going to end the era where we send unconditional military aid to foreign governments”

While historically Republican, Kent County has turned purple in the last decade. Surrounding counties, including Ottawa and Allegan, have remained staunchly Republican. A criticism of El-Sayed, touted by Stevens, is that his platform is too progressive to win against a Republican candidate in the November election.

Following the rally, the Lanthorn asked El-Sayed what his message to conservative voters from rural farming communities was. He said he has spoken with numerous Trump voters and realized they agree on more than they might think. 

“They agree with me that the best way to preserve small family-owned farms is to protect them from agribusiness,” El-Sayed said. “We’ve got to take on the fact that you can’t afford to see a doctor and you can’t get to one because the corporations are buying each other up and closing down the rural hospitals.”

El-Sayed shared that his campaign focuses on advocating for working families, regardless of political affiliation.

“You might not agree with me on everything, but at least you know I’m actually fighting for you,” El-Sayed said. “That’s been my whole career. I’m not bought by the people who are making your life harder. Mike Rogers? Different story.”

The Michigan primary will be held Aug. 4. Monday, July 20 is the final day to request an absentee ballot online.

— Lee Marentette is a contributing writer to the Ottawa News Network. Contact him at newsroom@ottawanewsnetwork.org.