Election 2026 · Detroit
Vance’s Michigan push: Howell rally caps a week of big names as Rogers chases El-Sayed in the Senate race
Vice President JD Vance returned to Michigan on Tuesday, Oct. 27, for a rally at CHI Aviation in Howell, the latest stop in a closing stretch that has turned the state into a campaign crossroads for both parties one week before the Nov. 3 election.
In four days, Michigan voters have seen President Donald Trump in Port Huron, former President Barack Obama in Detroit and now Vance in Livingston County. The reason is simple: Michigan has an open U.S. Senate seat that could decide control of the chamber, plus House races that could decide the narrow Republican majority there.
The Senate race. Republican Mike Rogers, a former seven-term congressman and ex-chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, faces Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County public health official, for the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. Trump has endorsed Rogers, and Republicans are looking to flip the open seat, The Hill reported, and MLive has described the contest as a toss-up that could decide control of the Senate.
The Republican pitch. Vance has made El-Sayed the centerpiece of his Michigan visits. At an Oct. 15 rally near Monroe, he called the Senate seat “the single most important race of the 2026 midterms” and described El-Sayed as “one of the most radical people running for high office in the history of the United States of America,” MLive reported. Speaking to reporters before his flight on Tuesday, he accused El-Sayed of engaging in “explicitly anti-white racial hatred” and called Rogers “fundamentally a decent guy,” according to Newsweek. Rogers has called El-Sayed too extreme for Michigan; El-Sayed has called Rogers a “Trump sock puppet,” MLive reported.
The other side. El-Sayed has focused his closing message on spending at home. “Instead of sending money abroad to drop bombs on other people and their kids, I’d rather spend our money to build schools for our kids,” he said at a Detroit campaign stop, WXYZ-TV reported. Political science professor Michael Traugott told the station that Trump’s visits aim to turn out the Republican base, while El-Sayed is working to build support among Black and Jewish voters.
Where the polls stand. The newest public survey shows Rogers behind but within reach. A WDIV/Detroit News poll of 600 likely voters, taken Oct. 19-22 by the Glengariff Group, found El-Sayed at 51.4% and Rogers at 45.1%, with 3.6% undecided and a margin of error of plus or minus 4 points. A Marist Poll taken Oct. 15-18 put the race at 50% to 48% among likely voters, within its margin of error. Rogers’ favorable rating trailed El-Sayed’s in the WDIV/Detroit News survey, 32.2% to 42.2%, though both candidates had higher unfavorable than favorable numbers.
The House stakes. Republicans hold the U.S. House 218 seats to 214, FOX 2 Detroit reported. Howell sits in the 7th Congressional District, where Republican Rep. Tom Barrett faces progressive Democrat William Lawrence in one of the country’s most watched contests. Our earlier coverage looks at the governor’s race between John James and Jocelyn Benson, which also tops the Nov. 3 ballot.
Vance’s Michigan stops. Tuesday’s rally was his third Michigan midterm appearance, after Sterling Heights in August and Frenchtown Township near Monroe on Oct. 15, according to MLive. Trump’s Oct. 25 Port Huron rally was the first visit by a sitting president to St. Clair County; our photos and recap from McMorran Place are here.
Michigan voters can request an absentee ballot by mail or online through Friday, Oct. 30, and in person at their clerk’s office through 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2. Early in-person voting runs through Sunday, Nov. 1, and polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. You can still register in person at your clerk’s office with proof of residency through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Check your sample ballot at the Michigan Voter Information Center.
Sources:
The Hill, “Watch live: Vance makes final midterm push in Michigan,” Oct. 27, 2026, https://thehill.com/video-clips/6175065-watch-live-vance-midterm-rally-michigan/
MLive, “Hundreds line up to hear JD Vance speak at Livingston County rally ahead of midterms,” Oct. 27, 2026, https://www.mlive.com/politics/2026/10/hundreds-line-up-to-hear-jd-vance-speak-at-livingston-county-rally-ahead-of-midterms.html
MLive, “Vance calls El-Sayed ‘little weasel’ as Senate race takes center stage in Michigan speech,” Oct. 15, 2026, https://www.mlive.com/politics/2026/10/vance-calls-el-sayed-little-weasel-as-senate-race-takes-center-stage-in-michigan-speech.html
MLive, “Republican Senate candidate Rogers, others target El-Sayed at Vance’s Michigan rally,” Oct. 15, 2026, https://www.mlive.com/politics/2026/10/republican-senate-candidate-rogers-others-target-el-sayed-at-vances-michigan-rally.html
Newsweek, “JD Vance Accuses Abdul El-Sayed of Anti-White Racism Before Michigan Rally,” Oct. 27, 2026, https://www.newsweek.com/jd-vance-accuses-abdul-el-sayed-of-anti-white-racism-before-michigan-rally-12624731
Washington Examiner, “Vance accuses Abdul el Sayed of trafficking ‘explicitly anti-white racial hatred,’” Oct. 27, 2026 (Rogers as former House Intelligence Committee chairman), https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4781066/jd-vance-abdul-el-sayed-traffic-racial-hatred/
MLive, “Vice President JD Vance supporters queue up for Michigan rally,” Oct. 15, 2026 (Trump endorsement of Rogers; Peters retiring), https://www.mlive.com/politics/2026/10/vice-president-jd-vance-supporters-queue-up-for-michigan-rally.html
WXYZ-TV, “Vance to campaign for Rogers in Howell as Michigan’s Senate candidates pursue different turnout strategies,” Oct. 26, 2026, https://www.wxyz.com/news/national-politics/america-votes/vance-to-campaign-for-rogers-in-howell-as-michigans-senate-candidates-pursue-different-turnout-strategies
WDIV/ClickOnDetroit, “Democratic candidate El-Sayed leads Michigan U.S. Senate race, new poll finds,” Oct. 27, 2026 (Glengariff Group, 600 likely voters, Oct. 19-22, ±4.0%), https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2026/10/27/democratic-candidate-el-sayed-leads-michigan-us-senate-race-new-poll-finds/
Marist Poll, “Midterm Elections in Michigan, October 2026,” Oct. 21, 2026, https://maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/midterm-elections-in-michigan-october-2026/
FOX 2 Detroit, “JD Vance in Howell, Michigan: Watch live,” Oct. 27, 2026, https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/jd-vance-live-watch-michigan-tom-barrett-william-lawrence
Michigan Voter Information Center, https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/
Photo: Gage Skidmore, “J. D. Vance (53984495699).jpg,” Sept. 4, 2024, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/), color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:J._D._Vance_(53984495699).jpg
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