Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters, a Democrat, is encouraging voters to consider splitting their tickets in Michigan's U.S. Senate race, telling the New York Post that Democrats should feel free to back Republican Mike Rogers over their party's nominee, Abdul El-Sayed.
"There are a number of people that don't even know that they can split their ballot in the general election," Waters told the Post. She declined to say which Senate candidate she would vote for but confirmed she would be splitting her own ticket.
Waters contrasted the two candidates' temperaments, describing Rogers as someone who listens and El-Sayed as "very headstrong." She also said endorsements from Barack Obama and Kamala Harris were unlikely to shift many Detroit voters, relaying that some residents had told her they would not vote for El-Sayed even with Harris at his side.
Her remarks come days after Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost the August Democratic primary to El-Sayed, endorsed Rogers. Former Rep. Hansen Clarke and his wife, Choi Clarke, have also backed the Republican.
El-Sayed struggled in Detroit during the primary, where he received about 31 percent of the vote and lost the city to Stevens by 28 points, according to Townhall. He has also faced criticism from pro-Israel Democrats, who noted that during the October 8 Senate debate he declined to say whether Iran or Israel posed the greater threat to the United States.
Despite the defections, El-Sayed leads Rogers by close to five points in the RealClearPolitics polling average, according to the Post. Polls in Michigan close at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
