Trump campaigns in Michigan a day after Obama rallies Democrats

U.S. President Donald Trump will rally Republicans in eastern Michigan on Sunday, a day after former President Barack Obama campaigned for Democrats in the state, underscoring its importance in next week's midterm elections.

Michigan has one of the nation's most ‌competitive U.S. Senate contests, an open-seat race between former Republican Representative Mike Rogers and Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed that will help decide control of the chamber.

Despite repeatedly attacking El-Sayed from the Oval Office and at rallies across the country, the Republican president had not yet campaigned in Michigan this year.

If he wins, El-Sayed would be the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. ⁠Trump has sought to paint El-Sayed as a Muslim extremist and repeatedly mocked his middle name, Mohamed, a common Muslim name.

El-Sayed has dismissed the accusation and, in a recent advertisement, defended his religion, saying, "Faith is a thing there’s just too little of in Washington."

Rogers has alleged without evidence that El-Sayed has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the Arab world's oldest and most influential Islamist groups.

Reuters