Mehdi Hasan praised former US president Barack Obama after the latter defended Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed against criticism over his disagreements with the former president.In his post, Mehdi Hasan praised the former US president while acknowledging that he had both “many many agreements and many more disagreements” with the former president. He wrote,“He is so good at this. A once in a generation political talent, whatever else you may think of him. (sic)”According to The Guardian’s October 24, 2026 report, the exchange took place as Obama campaigned for El-Sayed ahead of Michigan’s November 3 midterm election. Obama endorsed the Democratic nominee at a rally attended by thousands, marking his first public show of support for El-Sayed since the August primary.Mehdi Hasan praises Barack Obama after Michelle Obama comparisonMehdi Hasan’s October 25, 2026, post on X came after Barack Obama invoked his wife, Michelle Obama, while addressing differences between himself and Abdul El-Sayed at a Detroit campaign rally. The former president said,“You know who else doesn’t agree with everything I do? Michelle Obama,”The Guardian reported that the rally was at Cass Technical High School in Detroit on Saturday, as Michigan’s early voting period began. Obama acknowledged that El-Sayed had disagreed with some of his actions as president, and that he and El-Sayed shared values, including ensuring that everyone had a fair chance.He also backed Abdul El-Sayed’s call for changes to healthcare, saying the candidate would “finish the job we started with the Affordable Care Act and guarantee quality, affordable healthcare to every single American,” according to The Guardian.The endorsement came after the former president had remained neutral during the Democratic primary in August. El-Sayed, a doctor and former Wayne County health official, defeated Congresswoman Haley Stevens to become the party’s Senate nominee.The Guardian reported that El-Sayed later described the former president as a mentor figure after the two spoke by phone. El-Sayed has praised the former president while acknowledging past differences often.Dr. Abdul El-Sayed @AbdulElSayedLINKPresident @BarackObama showed me something in myself I might never have seen without him. I’m humbled to have his support in this fight. The Affordable Care Act will have laid the groundwork for guaranteed healthcare, and I'm honored to pick up his baton and finally pass Medicare for All.Read More: Donald Trump gets called out by Harry Sisson over "metal detector" comment about Abdul El-SayedMore about the campaigns ahead of Michigan midtermsBarack Obama’s appearance in Detroit was part of his first weekend of in-person campaigning during the 2026 midterm elections. According to The Guardian’s October 24 report, he also campaigned in Cleveland for former Ohio senator Sherrod Brown and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton.Abdul El-Sayed is running against Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman endorsed by Trump. The Guardian reported that the Michigan Senate contest was rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report. A Marist poll of likely voters conducted in mid-October put El-Sayed at 50% and Rogers at 48%, within the margin of error.Read More: "This is insane": Chris Murphy slams Trump after POTUS' recent comments on Abdul El-Sayed and his middle name