A majority of Michigan voters view Democratic Senate candidate Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, also known as Abdul El-Sayed, unfavorably, according to a poll commissioned by a Republican-aligned group and released this week.
The survey, obtained by the Washington Reporter, found that 50.4 percent of respondents held an unfavorable opinion of El-Sayed, compared with 39.8 percent who viewed him favorably. Common Sense for America PAC commissioned the poll; Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) serves as the group’s honorary chair.
El-Sayed’s past association with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) appears to weigh on his standing. After respondents were told about his history with the organization, 52.7 percent said the information would make them less likely to support him.
“They believe that they can move the state and the country, by the way, to be more accepting of this socialism,” Republican Mike Rogers said. He called El-Sayed the “Democratic Socialists of America darling right now” and framed the contest as “crazy versus common sense.”
The DSA also posted unfavorable numbers in the survey. Some 51.9 percent of voters said they viewed the organization negatively, while 25.5 percent expressed a favorable opinion.
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El-Sayed has faced additional scrutiny over his relationship with streamer Hasan Piker, whom the Washington Reporter described as a “pro-9/11” figure. El-Sayed, who has received endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a DSA member, says he does not consider himself a democratic socialist.
The poll showed Rogers with a slight advantage in the Senate race, leading El-Sayed 44.4 percent to 43.1 percent. That difference falls within the survey’s 4.7-point margin of error. Third-party candidates received 3.9 percent, while 8.5 percent of voters remained undecided.
In the governor’s contest, Democratic candidate Jocelyn Benson led Rep. John James (R-MI) by about one percentage point, 42.2 percent to 41.1 percent. The result was closer than findings in other public surveys. Economic issues ranked as voters’ top concern, with 52.6 percent identifying the economy and prices as the country’s most important problem.
The findings differ from a series of recent public polls that showed El-Sayed ahead. A Washington Post–Schar School survey released last week gave him a narrow lead, while polls from Emerson College and Rasmussen Reports put him ahead by two and three points, respectively.
Torchlight Strategies surveyed 643 likely voters using live interviews and text-to-web responses conducted from September 15 through 19.
