Eminem's "Not Afraid" Features in Abdul El-Sayed's Election Day Video
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed released a campaign video built around Eminem's song "Not Afraid" early on Tuesday, 3 November, as Election Day began. Billboard reported the video, which went online that morning.
El-Sayed is the Democratic candidate for one of Michigan's two seats in the US Senate, the upper chamber of Congress. He is running against Republican Mike Rogers for the seat held by Democrat Gary Peters. The two candidates held dueling rallies to close their campaigns, according to CNN.
"Not Afraid" comes from Eminem's 2010 album Recovery. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the main US singles chart, which ranks songs using sales, radio play and streaming. Billboard also reported that Eminem has not commented on El-Sayed's use of the track, and has not publicly endorsed a candidate in the 2026 midterm elections.
The video arrives in a busy final stretch of support from musicians and other public figures. Bruce Springsteen endorsed El-Sayed on Monday, 2 November. That same night, the rapper Common performed at a rally for him in Detroit. On Election Day, Stevie Wonder released a video backing El-Sayed for Senate and Jocelyn Benson for governor.
Political speeches were part of the closing push too. El-Sayed appeared with Senator Elizabeth Warren at a rally on Monday, and Reuters published video of the event. At another rally, AP reported, El-Sayed joked about President Donald Trump's habit of getting his name wrong. He said he would make Trump call him "Senator."
For anyone who follows music, the video is a reminder of how often older songs find new audiences far from where they started. A track from 2010 can now sit inside a campaign video posted on the morning of a national vote, with no sign yet from its writer or label about how it is being used. Michigan's polls were open on Tuesday, and the results are still to come.
