GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders brought his Michigan swing to downtown Grand Rapids on Sunday night, sharing the stage with Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed before a nearly full DeVos Performance Hall, a venue that seats roughly 2,500.
Both men urged supporters to treat the Nov. 3 vote as if President Donald Trump himself were on the ballot, tying the administration to Republican nominee Mike Rogers.
Health care took center stage. Sanders and El-Sayed each backed a Medicare for All plan as the answer to high drug prices, and Sanders used part of his speech to condemn attacks on El-Sayed over his race and faith.
Sanders also called for a wealth tax on billionaires, a pause on new data center construction and a higher minimum wage. El-Sayed criticized the trade fight with Canada and closed by reminding the crowd it had nine days left to vote.
A mid-October Marist Poll of likely Michigan voters showed El-Sayed at 50% and Rogers at 48%. El-Sayed was due in Lansing on Monday, while Sanders heads to Alpena and Ann Arbor to finish his tour of the state.
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