Obama's star power gets a reality check from Black voters in crucial Senate race: 'It's a turnoff'

By Fox News · Fox News

DETROIT — Former President Barack Obama’s endorsement of Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is getting a mixed reception among Black voters in Detroit, with some undecided voters saying the former president's backing isn't enough to win them over. Fox News Digital spoke with more than a dozen Black voters in Detroit, most of whom said they plan to back El-Sayed in November, but several undecided voters said Obama's endorsement had not persuaded them to support the Democrat. The reactions come as Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers seeks to win over disaffected Democrats, including Black voters in Detroit, a key constituency for the party in Michigan. "Honestly, it's a turn-off just because I've seen too many candidates use him just to manipulate the Democratic vote," Mercedes, one undecided Black voter, told Fox News Digital of Obama's endorsement. BLACK VOTERS RIP DEMS OVER TAKING THEM FOR GRANTED IN EL-SAYED'S BACKYARD: ‘HUSH US UP’ "No, not at all," Anthony, another undecided Black voter, told Fox News Digital when asked if Obama’s endorsement had swayed him toward El-Sayed. "What he's been able to do is from an image standpoint, as far as ‘hope,’ he drove the point there. But as far as really giving back to the community, minority owned businesses, and everyone across the board, I don't really think he really got there for me … he really hasn't swayed me one way or another." Obama and El-Sayed are preparing to campaign together in Michigan despite the Democratic Senate nominee's history of sharply criticizing the former president, a political reversal that also drew mixed reactions from Black Detroit voters interviewed by Fox News Digital. Juanita, another Black voter who has yet to commit to El-Sayed, told Fox News Digital that, "I don't want to be pushed to vote for him because somebody else is backing him." Rita, a Black voter who said she had recently been homeless, told Fox News Digital that she would prefer to do her own research rather…