Sanders draws 700 to Alpena to close Michigan Senate gap

Roughly 700 residents gathered in Alpena, Michigan, on Monday to hear US Senator Bernie Sanders speak in a town that has traditionally voted Republican. Sanders, a Democratic socialist, traveled to the northern city to support Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for US Senate, in the final days before the November 3 election. The turnout exceeded initial expectations, forcing organizers to add extra chairs and remove a partition to accommodate the audience in a county that Donald Trump won by nearly 29 percentage points in the 2024 presidential race.

The visit marks a strategic effort by El-Sayed and his allies to reduce the Republican advantage in northern Michigan. While flipping the region is not the primary objective, political experts note that statewide races are often decided by margins of 100,000 votes or fewer. In those close contests, small shifts in traditionally red counties can alter the outcome. El-Sayed has adopted a

Michigan first

campaign strategy, running advertisements on Fox News and targeting voters who feel disconnected from their government, a tactic some observers compare to Donald Trump's own political approach.

Republican US Senate nominee Mike Rogers is pursuing a similar strategy in traditional Democratic strongholds. He has focused his efforts on courting Jewish voters and Detroit residents who previously supported Haley Stevens, El-Sayed's primary opponent. Both parties are competing for non-college-educated white voters, a demographic that has formed the core of Trump's winning coalitions in Michigan. Michigan pollster Richard Czuba told Bridge Michigan that this group is essential to the Republican coalition, stating that if El-Sayed begins winning over these voters, it presents a serious challenge to the GOP.

Reactions to Sanders' appearance were mixed but generally positive among local Democrats. Marion Hautea, an Alpena resident since 1997, described the rally as a new experience for many in the community.

I think it's a great way for people on the blue side to really partake in the experience,

Hautea said. Diane O'Connor, an activist with the Alpena County Democratic Party, noted that the crowd size was impressive but not surprising, adding that she believes the visit will help Democrats in next week's election.

The Michigan Republican Party responded to the progressive outreach by criticizing the policies supported by Sanders and El-Sayed. Greg Manz, a senior communications adviser for the state GOP, called those policies

direct threats to Michiganders' livelihoods.

Democrats see an opening to peel away Republican support amid Donald Trump's declining approval ratings, high consumer prices, and the ongoing war in Iran.

Sanders' Michigan tour also included stops in Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor. The trip followed a commitment by Sanders and other members of Congress to contribute more than $1.3 million to El-Sayed's campaign in the final days of the election cycle. Sanders said the funds are intended to counter outside groups that have heavily outspent El-Sayed with attack ads.