The United Auto Workers (UAW) endorsed Abdul El-Sayed for Michigan’s open U.S. senate seat and Jocelyn Benson for Governor.  

For UAW Region 1A Director Mark DePaoli, this move puts the union “back at the forefront” in terms of political influence.  

To determine which candidate receives their endorsement, DePaoli said the UAW Community Action Program (CAP) Board schedules meetings with candidates to ask questions and vote on who best reflects their values.  

“They ask a lot of tough questions because they want to be able to hold the candidates accountable for their answers,” DePaoli said.  

UAW rules require a two-thirds majority of CAP board member to agree in order for an endorsement to be made. 

“The best part about it is whether you’re one of the CAP reps from the plant, you’re one of the three Michigan directors, or you’re the president of the UAW, everybody’s vote weighs the same,” DePaoli said.  

Selecting a senate candidate

The CAP representatives came from each plant and facility represented by UAW, DePaoli said, and ended up voting in favor of El-Sayed.

Another way UAW members learn more about the candidates and their beliefs is through a public debate in which the candidates discuss their values.  

“It was live stream for all of our members, and the consensus at the end of that debate amongst everybody that was talking was that Abdul was the clear-cut winner,” DePaoli said. 

The vote was a surprise in some circles since the other two candidates—Congresswoman Haley Stevens and State Senator Mallory McMorrow—both have some background in the auto industry.

Stevens worked on the 2009 auto bailout in the Obama Administration. McMorrow trained as car designer. In autoworker-heavy Michigan, both candidates have leaned into drawing the interest of organized labor.

DePaoli said he was “dreading” the endorsement decision because each candidate had values that the UAW supported, but he decided that El-Sayed would be best suited to tackle the issue of healthcare, which DePaoli  referred to as “the biggest problem” for the majority of Americans.   

“We seem to be the only country where it’s acceptable for big business to make profit off of our illnesses,” DePaoli said. “Why not a health care expert in the U.S. Senate to help try and fix some of these problems?” 

El-Sayed said he was “deeply honored” to receive the endorsement from UAW. El-Sayed makes it a point that his campaign is built from union members instead of “corporate PAC money, AIPAC and Washington insiders.” 

“Together, we’re going to take on corporate greed, rebuild an economy that works for working people, strengthen collective bargaining and ensure that the future of Michigan manufacturing is built right here by union workers,” El-Sayed said.  

In the past, the UAW has almost exclusively endorsed Democratic candidates. According to DePaoli, UAW leadership invited all candidates for the U.S. Senate seat, and only three Democrats attended. Republican Mike Rogers did not attend.

“It makes it hard to endorse somebody that doesn’t even bother to come out and listen to the questions and hear the concerns of your membership, let alone give an answer,” DePaoli said. “I don’t think they even try to get Labor’s endorsement because they know they’re not going to vote any policies in favor of Labor.” 

Why Jocelyn Benson?

In the race for Michigan Governor, Jocelyn Benson has a financial advantage over Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson. She also has a lead in the polls.

According to DePaoli both candidates were worthy of backing and recently discussed their positions for the CAP board at UAW Local 600.

“Two great candidates coming from completely different backgrounds,” DePaoli said. “At the end of the day, we don’t completely trust in polls, but we were comfortable that Jocelyn Benson was the correct decision.”

None of the Republican candidates for governor showed up.

At the time, former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan was in the race and in the forum.

“I think a lot of people were surprised at how well he did,” DePaoli said. “But I think everybody had gotten to a point to say, well, even if we don’t endorse him—if he does win— we’re comfortable that we can work with him and get things done for labor.”

Duggan dropped out citing concerns over money and no path to victory given a recent surge for democrats. 

The Michigan Senate is set to lose three women of color from Detroit-area districts.

Erika Geiss, Stephanie Chang, and Sylvia Santana are all term limited.

Eboni Taylor is running in the 3^rd district – and was recruited to run by Senator Chang.

There are 10 other people in the primary including: Kimberley Hill Knott, Latanya Garrett,  Adam Hollier, John Conyers III, and Korey Hall.

Taylor is also the Vice President of Programs for Higher Heights for America, a political action committee with the goal of increasing Black women’s elected representation. Taylor spoke to WDET’s Russ McNamara about the challenges Black women face in campaigns and where she finds the most support.  

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Taylor: All federal races, all statewide executive races, according to the state’s constitution, and the only local race that we partake in is top 100 cities for mayor. So, really excited that my organization, with me at the helm of the program and the political work, was very proud that we were able to support our now Mayor Mary Sheffield. 

McNamara: Does Mayor Sheffield endorse your campaign currently? 

Taylor: I think that Mayor Sheffield is currently staying out of it because it is an extremely crowded race. There are 11 people in the race, but I know that she does believe strongly in Black women’s leadership, and Black women stepping up and deciding to run. So, I do know that she holds that value. 

McNamara: What are the challenges that go into getting a woman of color elected? Black women specifically. 

Taylor: Women in general, it takes them four to five times to be asked to run before they say yes. A woman of color, it takes even more times for them to be asked before they decide to run, and when they do say yes, the issues that they face are numerous, but the number one issue is that it’s hard to raise funds. As the Vice President of Programs and the political work at Higher Heights, I’m in conversations with candidates all across the country, all different walks of life, and that is probably the number one thing that rises to the top, is that it’s hard to raise money in comparison to their white counterparts, to their male counterparts. It’s hard to get campaign staff that actually can put forth products and put forth a campaign that’s in their voice, because these are folks who are cookie cutting from campaign to campaign, instead of understanding that a Black woman’s voice and a Black woman’s way of running a campaign might be different, not always, but it might be different, and for us to not have just across the board, campaign managers, finance directors, who don’t understand the importance and the uniqueness of a Black woman or a woman of color running, we need more of that, and so those are probably the top two issues that we’re seeing.  

McNamara: Does that surprise you? Since one of the key pillars of the Democratic base are Black women. 

Taylor: Yeah, and Black women, we have been key to the Democratic party. We have been a very strong voting block. We have been essentially the architects, the purveyors, if you will, of democracy, and for us to not be at the helm, at the vanguard, and the forefront, is a problem. And I think that the Democratic Party, it’s high time for them to step up—and I think that they are—to see the uniqueness that Black women bring and the community and the network that comes with Black women, because we are at the center of our communities, we help support our immediate families. I was just on the doors with a woman who was talking about making sure she got to all of her neighbors on her block, that they got out and voted, or they submitted their absentee ballot, and so this is the work that Black women have been doing to ensure that they can feed their families, to ensure that they can go to work and not worry about being treated unfairly, and that’s the only way that they can do it if they do it themselves. 

Partisanship isn’t just a Washington problem. 

This year, Michigan’s Legislature has been one of the slowest in recent memory as only a few bills passed since January. This is happening as costs keep climbing and families keep stretching. Life is getting really expensive and people want their leaders to take action.

With state Senator Erika Geiss, who is overseeing parts of Detroit and Downriver, unable to run for re-election, two Democrats are now vying to fix the problem of rising costs.

One of them is former state House representative Abraham Aiyash. He spoke about his campaign and his plans with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

Editor’s note: this conversation discussed the possibility of data centers recycling water. Water sprayed or circulated in evaporative cooling systems can be recycled at data centers. But the recycling process requires significant on-site treatment to manage high concentrations of salts and other contaminants.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

More stories from The Metro

The 13th district state Senate seat is open as Democrat Rosemary Bayer is stepping down after one term. There are several people running to represent the district that spans Northville, Plymouth, and West Bloomfield.

One of those individuals is Cecil George. The owner of a landscaping company, George has never before held public office. 

The Metro’s Sam Corey spoke to him about why he’s running.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro

An important state senate race for Michigan’s 35th Senate District was decided Tuesday, and it could have huge implications for the November midterm elections. This week on WDET’s weekly series, MichMash, Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss what how the race was decided. They are joined by Alvin “AJ” Jones from WCMU Public Radio to break it all down.

Subscribe to MichMash on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode

• What were the campaign strategies for Democrat Chedrick Greene and Republican Jason Tunney?
• Why did it take so long to call this special election?
• What could this race signal for the 2026 midterm elections?

Jones also pointed to the focus on the race being a reason why Greene won this special election. “The two candidates had very different strategies. Tunny’s campaign really hammered in local issues—talking about reading levels and tax cuts. Greene’s focused on national issues of affordability.” 

Both Greene and Tunney will face off again in the 2026 November midterm elections. 

More from WDET

• MichMash: The 2026-27 fiscal year budget process is outpacing last year
• The Metro: Trust in elections is declining. A Michigan Republican clerk blames politics
• 4 living ex-Michigan governors make case for civility in politics

Rep. Haley Stevens continued her call for articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a house committee meeting on Friday.

During a contentious set of questions, Stevens says that the secretary abused his office and gutted America’s health.

She said she did it for Michigan. “I had a moment to push for accountability for Michiganders whose healthcare and safety is on the line with conspiracy theories running rampant. I wanted to push today for the transparency and accountability Michiganders deserve. That’s who I take my cues from.”

After Stevens’ questioning, U.S. Rep. Bob Onder of Missouri accused Stevens—who is currently running for U.S. senate—of using the moment to get a viral clip.

With a Republican led house, it is unlikely that the articles of impeachment will go further or get a vote.

Additional headlines for Friday, April 17, 2026

Michigan Senate takes up bill to slow utility rate hikes

A state Senate committee took up a bill to stop utility rates from going up more than once every three years.

Right now, energy companies can ask the Michigan Public Service Commission for higher rates every 12 months—a source of public frustration when approvals of rate increase requests are soon followed by requests for even higher rates.

Commission char Dan Scripps says a three year system could help address that. He adds that tying increases to performance would also improve the system. “The details are important and I think there are a number of places where multi-year rate plans provide for continued investment. If you add in performance-based mechanisms, you can, I think, realize some shared savings.”

The commission doesn’t have to approve the full amount, but if it does act within 10 months, the increase becomes automatic.

Sports

NBA

The playoffs start this weekend and No. 1 seed Pistons will play Sunday, April 19 against whoever wins the Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic game tonight at 7:30 p.m.

MLB

The Detroit Tigers have a three game affair against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The first pitch for tonight’s game is at 7:15 p.m. The Tigers are currently third in the American League Central.

Soccer

Detroit City FC face off against the Pittsburg Riverhounds SC on April 18 at Highmark Stadium. Game starts at 7 p.m.

Speakeasy fundraiser

This weekend, check out The Speakeasy at the Guardian Building. On Saturday, April 18 at 7 p.m. the Detroit Historical Society will host a fundraiser to support their efforts to share the rich history of the Motor City.

Tickets will cover live music by the Rhythm Society Orchestra, Charleston and East Coast Swing lessons, open bar, Detroit Distillery tastings, complimentary valet and more. Go to detroithistorical.org for more information.

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.