Outside groups are airing ads in Michigan that use a Barack Obama clip praising Haley Stevens, even though he has not endorsed her in the Michigan Senate primary. The spot is running as Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed compete in one of the most competitive Senate primaries in the country.
Obama Clip From Detroit
The clip comes from an October 2018 rally in Detroit, where Obama said, "Haley Stevens…She was a critical part of my team that helped the American auto industry come roaring back." In that same period, Obama endorsed Stevens in 2018 and again in 2020 along with dozens of Democrats before the general elections.
Stevens also used the same clip in a 2025 video announcing her US Senate bid and in a 2022 House primary campaign ad. On July 7 in Grand Rapids, she said, "Look, I was the person from Michigan on the team working on President Obama’s auto rescue" and added, "I have a proven track record that I am proud of fighting for this state."
Axelrod’s June Warning
David Axelrod wrote in a June social media post that if people lived there and saw the ad, they would think Obama had endorsed Stevens. The ads are funded by outside groups, and outside groups are prohibited from collaborating with candidates, while Haley Stevens and her campaign are not involved in making or distributing the ads.
Abdul El-Sayed called the ads this week a "fake Obama endorsement." Denzel McCampbell also called the ads featuring Obama "deceptive" in a recent social media post, and said, "There are monied and corporate interests that are going all in trying to pit Black folks against our best interests." He added, "It’s yet another reason to get money out of politics and for robust investment into civic education."
Michigan Senate Primary
Obama has not historically weighed in on contested state-level primaries, and this year his only public US Senate endorsement has been in support of Texas Democrat James Talarico. His past comments have also been used in a 2020 Bernie Sanders campaign ad and more recently in Colorado's Democratic gubernatorial primary.
That leaves Michigan voters seeing an Obama message that dates to 2018, not a current endorsement. The clip can read like fresh backing for Stevens even as Obama has stayed out of the race, which makes the outside groups’ choice of ad copy the story’s central question.
