MICHIGAN—Voters of Tomorrow, the nation’s largest Gen Z-led voter engagement organization, is backing Abdul El-Sayed for US Senate, The ‘Gander has learned exclusively.
The endorsement comes less than four weeks before Election Day, when El-Sayed is facing Republican Mike Rogers for the seat being vacated by retiring US Sen. Gary Peters. And control of the Senate could depend on Michigan. Republicans hold the chamber 53-47, so Democrats ultimately need a net gain of four seats in November to take control next year.
Behind the endorsement
In a statement, Voters of Tomorrow says it aims to mobilize more young Michiganders for El-Sayed through phonebanks, peer-to-peer outreach, and digital organizing efforts.
“El-Sayed is a champion for Michigan’s working class and all young people,” said Santiago Mayer, the group’s founder and executive director. “He isn’t afraid to stand up to billionaires and corporate interests who are putting our generation in harm’s way.”
Mayer said young voters “from Detroit to Flint to Grand Rapids” are “excited to turn out in droves” for a senator who shares their values—namely El-Sayed’s signature campaign slogan of getting money out of politics, putting money in your pocket, and passing Medicare for All.
“From confirming [US] Supreme Court justices to holding the Trump regime accountable for its crimes, it is essential that we win back the [US] Senate,” Mayer said in a statement.
‘We have the numbers’
Mayer, a Mexican immigrant who became a US citizen this summer, founded Voters of Tomorrow. The group says it has more than 11,000 members and chapters in more than 25 states, and that it reached more than 32 million voters during the 2024 election cycle.
This cycle, the group has invested $1 million in reaching new voters, including in swing states, as COURIER first reported in July. It says it has made 250,000 “direct contacts” with young voters so far and helped thousands pre-register, register, or check their voter registration.
“Nearly 50 million members of Gen Z are eligible to vote,” said Kaya Jones, the group’s senior director of programming. “We have the numbers, we have the energy, and we have a generation that has shown again and again that we are willing to fight for the future we believe in.”
Voters of Tomorrow is also endorsing two other Michigan Democrats: William Lawrence, who is running to unseat US Rep. Tom Barrett in the 7th Congressional District; and Donavan McKinney, who is running to replace US Rep. Shri Thanedar in the 13th Congressional District.
Absentee voting is underway. Early voting opens statewide on Oct. 24. Election Day is Nov. 3.
READ MORE: Abdul El-Sayed wants to make America healthy again—for real this time
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