Poll shows El-Sayed leading Rogers in Michigan Senate race, poll finds

A new Suffolk University poll released Sept. 22 shows Democrat Abdul El-Sayed leading Republican Mike Rogers 47%-40% in Michigan's U.S. Senate race, with opposition to President Donald Trump driving many voters' choices. Nearly half of likely voters surveyed said their vote was aimed at changing Trump's direction, compared with 20% who wanted to support him.

The poll of 500 likely general-election voters was conducted Sept. 16-20 and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. It found Trump's approval rating in Michigan has fallen to 31%, with Suffolk's polling director pointing to tariffs on Canada, opposition to data centers and a sluggish state economy as factors pulling independents away from Republican candidates.

El-Sayed, a doctor and former public health official making his first bid for elected office, now draws support from 88% of Democrats, though he polls lower among Black voters than with the party overall, at 72%. In the governor's race, Democrat Jocelyn Benson leads Republican John James 51%-34% in the same survey.

Michigan is considered one of the most competitive seats as Democrats try to flip four Republican-held Senate seats to regain a majority in the midterms; analysts now put the odds at roughly 50-50. El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, would become the first Muslim U.S. Senator if elected.

Read the full story at usatoday.com.