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Abdul el Sayed, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press where he addressed past criticisms of former President Barack Obama. El Sayed attributed those critiques to his younger and angrier self, highlighting an op-ed from 2012 that criticized Obama's policies. Now supportive of Obama’s campaign rally at the end of the month, el Sayed acknowledged learning from Obama's legacy while maintaining progressive stances. The article focuses on how this reconciliation might influence voter perceptions in a tight race where Democrats see potential for flipping Michigan’s Senate seat ahead of the midterms.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Abdul El-Sayed, the Michigan Democratic Senate nominee, addressed past criticisms of former President Barack Obama during an interview on NBC's Meet the Press. El-Sayed blamed those critiques on his "younger" and "angry" self, acknowledging growth since then. In 2012, El-Sayed wrote a Huffington Post op-ed questioning Obama’s progressive agenda, but now he sees himself as standing on the shoulders of giants like Obama to push for change differently yet respectfully. This shift comes ahead of the midterm elections where El-Sayed and Obama are set to campaign together.
Written for “El Sayed Reflects On Past Criticism” on 2026-10-11,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.45, but 1 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 2 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 72380: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-11
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul el Sayed on Sunday blamed his past critiques of former President Barack Obama on his “younger” and “angry” self as the two are set to campaign together ahead of the midterm elections.
asserted
two → blame → elections
In an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, el Sayed was asked if he had any reservations about the rally with Obama at the end of the month, given his past scrutiny of the former president’s foreign, immigration, and healthcare policies.
asserted
he → ask → policies
“I think the person who wrote those op-eds when I was younger — I was younger, right, and I was angry about circumstances,” el Sayed said.
asserted
Sayed → think → circumstances
The op-ed el Sayed is referring to is one he wrote in the Huffington Post as Obama sought reelection in 2012.
asserted
Obama → refer → 2012
In the essay, el Sayed accused Obama of not delivering on a promised progressive agenda, saying “he was not the right choice — he just wasn’t the wrong one.”
asserted
he → accuse → agenda
El Sayed said he read Obama’s 1995 memoir, Dreams from My Father, and related to Obama’s description of himself as “somebody who’s frustrated and wants things to be better.”
asserted
things → say → somebody
“You grow up, you start to appreciate just how hard change is and how important it is to pick up and push,” el Sayed said.
asserted
Sayed → grow → ?
“And that’s not to say that there aren’t things that you know we’re going to push on in different ways than his administration led, but it is to say that where we push differently, it is because we’ve learned from what he’s done and because we stand on the shoulders of giants.”
asserted
we → ’ → giants
Obama is set to travel to Michigan at the end of the month to rally with el Sayed, who is considered a more progressive Democrat than the former president.
asserted
who → set → president
Obama disputed the idea that el Sayed is too far left to be in line with older Democrats while speaking at a fundraiser on Wednesday.
asserted
Sayed → dispute → Wednesday
“I’m going to go to Michigan to campaign for Abdul el Sayed,” Obama said.
asserted
Obama → go → Sayed
“And people are like, ‘Well, he’s really left wing.’
asserted
he → ’ → ?
But I don’t know — he’s for a higher minimum wage and healthcare for all, and it doesn’t seem crazy to me.
asserted
it → know → me
You know, FDR was for that, too.”
asserted
FDR → know → that
Polling in Michigan appears to indicate a neck-and-neck race as el Sayed faces Trump-backed Mike Rogers, leading Republicans to pump hundreds of millions in outside spending in those states and others to protect their narrow majority in the Senate.
asserted
Sayed → appear → Senate
Democrats are looking to counteract that momentum in the final weeks before the election, with Obama’s increasing involvement signaling his party believes it has a real chance of flipping the competitive seat blue.
asserted
it → look → seat
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