The Metro: El-Sayed won Michigan and lost Detroit. Pastors could shape what comes next

Bishop James Williams explains what his congregants make of the U.S. Senate race and how their political preferences have been shifting.

Bishop Williams stands in front of a leafy green tree wearing a blue suit and orange tie.

Bishop James Williams leads the Spirit and Truth Christian Ministries in Detroit.

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed ran the health departments of both Detroit and Wayne County. Three weeks ago he won a U.S. Senate primary by roughly 15,000 votes statewide, and lost Detroit by nearly 2-1.

Seven miles away in Dearborn and Hamtramck, he took 78 and 82%, respectively.

In Detroit, fewer people voted in this primary than in 2016: About 98,000, which is down from 126,000.

So the question in front of him now isn’t only whether Detroit residents will vote for him — it’s whether Detroit residents will turn out to vote.

Bishop James Williams is founder and senior pastor of Spirit and Truth Christian Ministries, and second vice president of the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity— a group that supported Dr. El-Sayed during the primary. He joined host Robyn Vincent to speak about what his congregants make of the U.S. Senate race, and how their political preferences have been shifting.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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Authors

  • Sam Corey is a producer for 101.9 WDET, which includes finding and preparing interesting stories for the daily news, arts and culture program, The Metro. Sam joined WDET after a year and a half at The Union, a small newspaper in California, and stints at a variety of local Michigan outlets, including WUOM and the Metro Times. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago.
  • Robyn Vincent
  • The Metro