Abdul El‑Sayed Digital Persuasion
An $18.5 million digital persuasion program behind a U.S. Senate campaign in Michigan.
Abdul El-Sayed won the Democratic primary as a first-time nominee in a state of ten million people. He had about three months to introduce himself to voters across a big, diverse state, and to take on Mike Rogers, the Republican who came within a fraction of a point of winning this seat in 2024.
Every Screen in Michigan
Middle Seat built and ran the digital persuasion and GOTV program that reached the voters who would decide the race. From the primary through the 13 weeks of the general election, $18.5M across CTV and streaming, online video, streaming audio, social, creators, texting, and out-of-home, we kept Abdul and his message in front of Michiganders and reached them anywhere they consumed media.
- Connected TVThe core of the plan, on streaming apps and live sports.
- YouTubeIn-stream and TV-screen video, including NFL and college football.
- Online videoLower-cost video that rounded out reach.
- Streaming audioAudio spots on music and podcast apps.
- MetaPersuasion and GOTV ads in the feed.
- Content creatorsLocal voices for people who don’t follow politics.
- Out-of-homeCampus screens, checkout screens, gas pumps and billboards.
- TextingPersuasion and get-out-the-vote texts statewide.
- SearchGoogle Search ads for people looking up the race.
Digital-First Creative
We built our own digital-first creative for the campaign’s most targeted audiences. A few examples: Abdul on camera on medical debt and Big Pharma, a Ypsilanti neighbor on the data centers moving in, Abdul on what he’s fighting for, made for Muslim voters, and a closing message from President Obama.
By the Numbers
Where the Votes Are
We start every plan with how voters actually consume media, not with a channel and certainly not with a hunch. In Michigan, the data was clear: four in five persuadable voters stream TV, more than watch broadcast or cable, and three in five live in high-streaming households. A traditional TV buy would have missed them.
Where TV Was Running
Efficient media isn’t about spending less. It’s about not paying twice for the same exposure. In broadcast markets, we didn’t treat every persuadable voter the same. High streamers got 12× digital frequency, while high-linear viewers, already well covered by TV, got 6× to fill the gaps. The result: millions of dollars saved, and every voter still reached at the frequency they needed.
And Where It Wasn’t
In outer markets like Toledo, South Bend, and Green Bay, a TV buy mostly pays to reach voters in another state. So we skipped them on TV and went digital-first, targeting only Michigan voters at higher frequency. They saw Abdul about as often as voters in Detroit, without paying for a single out-of-state viewer.
Media Consumption Analysis
For each of our targeted audiences, we analyzed where voters spent their time and spent dollars accordingly. Take the voters we needed at the polls in person: nearly all of them stream on their phones, more than eight in ten are on YouTube and Facebook, and a third stream Netflix and Peacock.
Media consumption data for the campaign’s in-person turnout targets in Michigan, October 2026.
No Voters Left Behind
Campaigns tend to spend on the same few audiences: likely voters, swing voters, people who already follow the race. Not Abdul’s campaign. We built nine audience tracks for the voters those plans miss, each with its own creative, its own messengers and its own budget.
Swing Women
As polls showed Abdul had to gain ground with swing women statewide and women 50+ in Oakland County, we pivoted, adding new tracks with messaging on how Abdul held their values, a concern we heard consistently in focus groups. From October 20, older swing women saw his record on abortion rights, and in the final week Oakland County heard from President Obama.
Black Voters
Black voters decide statewide races in Michigan, but campaigns often reach them with the same ads everyone else sees. We built a dedicated Black voter track and kept adjusting our strategy as polling showed where the outreach mattered most.
Muslim Voters
Michigan has one of the largest Muslim communities in the country, and most campaigns don’t target Muslim voters at all. We built a GOTV track for Muslim voters, serving these voters unique creative highlighting the issues that move them at the polls.
1 spot356 or more
Creative for Every Track
With our TV partners, Middle Seat ran creative across connected TV, YouTube, online video, Meta and audio, in tracks by issue and community. We tested 25 of the ads with likely Michigan voters. We found that the highest performing ads were often the simplest: Abdul on camera, speaking directly to voters.
Display, Online Video, Branded CTV and Native
Abdul’s core message, “Money Out of Politics, Money in Your Pocket and Medicare for All,” ran across the open web and on the TV screen, and native units on Michigan news sites carried the contrast with Rogers.
Meta and YouTube
Video and statics in the Meta feed, on Instagram, and in-stream spots on YouTube, on phones and tablets.
If you’re ready for Michigan to have a fighter in the U.S. Senate, make sure to vote by November 3.
Abdul El-Sayed My opponent has personally invested up to $2.6 million in companies that stand to profit from data centers and backed nearly $50 billion in tax breaks for AI… more
Abdul El-Sayed My opponent has personally invested up to $2.6 million in companies that stand to profit from data centers and backed nearly $50 billion in tax breaks for AI… more
High-Impact Placements
We worked with the in-house team on rollouts of high-impact placements to command attention during key moments. When Mike Rogers dodged the debate, a Rogers Dodges Debate banner went up on freep.com. Abdul’s “Money Out of Politics, Money in Your Pocket” message ran at gas pumps during the primary, a placement the campaign announced in a press release, then on checkout screens in corner stores and, in the final stretch, on billboards.
In the Game
In Michigan, fall means football, and Abdul is a U-M alum. So live sports were a priority from the start. From late August through the final week of the election, we put the campaign in front of voters during 36 live games on connected TV: Michigan and Michigan State football on Saturdays, the NFL on Sundays, the NBA and NHL openers, and MLB in September.
By league
| League | Games | Ads served |
|---|---|---|
| NFL | 9 | 11.1M |
| College football | 11 | 5.6M |
| NHL | 4 | 2.3M |
| Major League Baseball | 9 | 1.2M |
| NBA | 3 | 1.0M |
Michigan and Michigan State games
- Michigan vs. Rutgers, Oct 31
- Michigan State vs. Wisconsin, Oct 3
- Michigan vs. Minnesota, Oct 3
- Illinois vs. Michigan State, Oct 10
- Penn State vs. Michigan, Oct 17
- UTEP vs. Michigan, Sept 19
- Iowa vs. Michigan, Sept 26
- Nebraska vs. Michigan State, Sept 26
- Indiana vs. Michigan, Oct 24
- Michigan State vs. UCLA, Oct 24
Ten games, 5.6M ads served, 26% of the live total. The rest ran during NFL Sundays, including Browns vs. Steelers and Chiefs vs. Broncos on the last Sunday before Election Day, the Knicks vs. Bulls and Islanders vs. Wild openers, and Cubs baseball.
Off the Screen
We met students where they study: on 39 Michigan campuses, with what they needed to register at their campus address and vote, and an introduction to Abdul on the issues that matter most to them.
- 20,217votes decided Michigan’s 2024 Senate race, about 3.5% of the state’s college students
- 400,000+students enrolled at the 39 campuses
- 58.6Mimpressions across the campus channels, estimated
- 80%of Michigan students likely to vote by October, up from 59% in June
Source for student polling: flytedesk, Michigan students only, pooled N = 3,931.
In Print and by Text
We put Abdul’s message in print too: a letter addressed to students in student newspapers, a Stop Endless Wars flyer built with student organizers at Henry Ford College and UM-Dearborn, and a get-out-the-vote poster to help students find their polling place. Students who had moved for school got a text with the one thing they needed to know: they could register at their campus address, and here was how.
Abdul El-Sayed ›October 2026
Register online by 10/19: https://abdulforsenate.com/vote
You can register in person at your local clerk’s office through Election Day with proof of residency.
Stop to Quit
Michigan Creators
Some persuadable voters can’t be found in a voter file, so we found them where they already spend their time. We recruited Michigan creators to bring Abdul into their followers’ feeds in their own voices, like a teacher talking about why affordable education matters and why she’s backing Abdul.
laurenkostercreative I know how my family feels in this economy and I can only imagine how others, in situations much tougher than mine, are feeling. It’s been a while since I’ve been genuinely excited about a candidate, but Abdul El-Sayed has me excited to cast my vote on November 3rd. El-Sayed is a smart, thoughtful person, who understands and cares about what ALL Michiganders are going through. His policies aim to reduce costs for everyday Americans, by lowering prescription drug prices, stopping cuts to Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, ending the Iran war and getting money out of politics, so that our politicians can get back to working for us and not for corporations and billionaires. Make a plan to mail in your ballot, vote early or I’ll see you at the polls on November
gaonoulo The older I get, the more intentional I become about the future I want to see, not just for myself, but for the people I love and the generations that come after us. Voting is one way I can turn the things I care about into action. This November, I’m supporting Abdul El-Sayed for U.S. Senate because his priorities align with the future I hope to see for Michigan. There’s so much at stake, and every voice matters! Make sure you show up for El-Sayed on November 3rd!
beautynbeats__ As a Michigan small business owner, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to balance rising costs while building something meaningful. Affordability matters, and so do the policies that shape our communities. With Michigan’s Senate race approaching, I’m taking a closer look at what candidates like Abdul El-Sayed are proposing. Get informed, know your options, and make your voice count this November 3rd! 🗳️ #MichiganSmallBusiness #MichiganVotes #SmallBusinessOwner #Election2026 #Michigan
Reporting by the Hour
Most firms hand campaigns a dashboard that runs a couple of days behind, or worse, a Google Sheet that someone updates by hand, with the gaps and typos that come with it. We built the Abdul for Senate campaign a suite of tools so its reporting was accurate, easy to get to, and up to date by the hour.
The Result
Abdul won Michigan by seven points, two years after Elissa Slotkin won by a third of a point, and he did it while Rogers and his allies outspent him and his allies roughly 3:2. He improved on Democrats’ 2024 margins in every county, including the Upper Peninsula, where Trump won by 19 points and Rogers by only 10.
| Candidate | Votes | Pct. |
|---|---|---|
| Winner. Abdul El-SayedDemocrat | 2,506,985 | 52.5% |
 Mike RogersRepublican | 2,171,951 | 45.5% |
 Lydia ChristensenLibertarian | 49,466 | 1.0% |
 Tim LongU.S. Taxpayers | 26,408 | 0.6% |
Unofficial results: the Associated Press count as of Nov 4, 2:46 PM ET, with 97.4% of the expected vote reported. Point at a county for its vote share, its margin, and how far it moved since the 2024 Senate race.