Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed has built his campaign around a promise to get money out of politics, but a recent fundraiser in West Hollywood has put the Democratic nominee’s own donor network under scrutiny. Jeffrey Soros, a Hollywood producer and nephew of billionaire philanthropist George Soros, hosted El-Sayed on Monday night alongside his wife, Catherine Soros. During the event, Soros said he has known El-Sayed since 2012, when he interviewed him as a finalist for his parents’ fellowship for immigrants and their children.
Footage from the event later emerged, prompting the campaign of Republican rival Mike Rogers to call El-Sayed a “hypocrite” for courting wealthy donors while criticizing billionaires on the campaign trail. El-Sayed’s campaign pushed back by pointing to the money supporting Rogers, arguing that corporate interests are pouring millions of dollars in outside spending into the race on his behalf. Newsweek reached out to the El-Sayed and Rogers campaigns for comment via email.
El-Sayed holds a narrow lead in most recent polls, with several showing a race that remains within the margin of error. The latest, a Fox News poll released Wednesday, put him ahead 50 percent to 49 percent among likely voters. Among registered voters, he led 51 percent to 48 percent, reversing an August poll that had Rogers ahead by 4 points among that group.
Forty-seven percent of likely voters viewed El-Sayed favorably, compared with 44 percent for Rogers, while 15 percent said they could still change their minds. A New York Times/Siena poll conducted September 15 to 22 among 605 likely voters showed El-Sayed with a 49 percent to 44 percent lead. A Washington Post/Schar School survey had him ahead 48 percent to 45 percent, while Rasmussen Reports also found him narrowly ahead.
An Emerson College/The Hill poll of 1,000 likely voters, conducted September 12 to 14, similarly showed El-Sayed with a slight lead, 48 percent to 46 percent. Two polls gave Rogers the edge. A survey commissioned by the Republican-aligned Common Sense for America PAC put Rogers at 44.4 percent to El-Sayed's 43.1 percent.
A WDIV/Detroit News poll conducted August 31 to September 3 had Rogers at 45.8 percent and El-Sayed at 44.4 percent. In both polls, the difference was within the margin of error. Sabato's Crystal Ball moved the race from Toss-up to Leans Democratic last week, while the Cook Political Report continues to rate it a Toss-up.
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