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Former Michigan Democratic chair won't vote for El-Sayed or Rogers in Senate race
Lon Johnson, a former chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, says he will leave the U.S. Senate race blank on Nov. 3 rather than vote for Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed or Republican Mike Rogers.
Lon Johnson, who chaired the Michigan Democratic Party from 2013 to 2015, says he will not vote for his party's U.S. Senate nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, and will not back Republican Mike Rogers either. Instead, he plans to leave the Senate contest blank on his Nov. 3 ballot.
Johnson laid out his position in an Oct. 16 op-ed in The Detroit News co-written with David Kramer, a former Democratic elections strategist. "Legitimate frustration with the political establishment cannot justify surrendering our party to ideological extremism," they wrote, adding that "a vote is never owed."
In an interview with NewsNation's "On Balance," Johnson said he was not trying to depress turnout. "This is not an effort to encourage people not to vote," he said. "I believe there's dignity in leaving the ballot blank." He said his refusal to back Rogers stems from what he called the Republican's extremism.
Pressure in a tight race
El-Sayed, a physician and former public health official from the party's progressive wing, narrowly defeated moderate Rep. Haley Stevens in the August Democratic primary. Johnson and Kramer argue he has not worked to unite the party or distanced himself from positions they consider extreme. Their op-ed followed El-Sayed's appearances at events with livestreamer Hasan Piker; El-Sayed has condemned antisemitism and said no one outside his campaign speaks for it.
Rogers, a former congressman endorsed by President Donald Trump, has portrayed El-Sayed, a Muslim critic of the Israeli government, as beholden to overseas interests. El-Sayed says Rogers would rubber-stamp the Trump administration's policies, including aggressive immigration enforcement.
The candidates held their final debate on Oct. 21. The open seat, left by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, could help decide which party controls the Senate after the Nov. 3 election.
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