Barack Obama is campaigning in Detroit for Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a boost for a campaign being hurt by cable news coverage that paints him as weak with Black voters.

• Obama will appear with El-Sayed in Detroit, which matters because ads had implied Obama was against him.
• A cable focus group segment featured Black voters who said they did not know enough about El-Sayed, even though most Black voters in the state already back him.
• The same segment gave heavy weight to Jewish voters opposed to him, a group that is under 2% of Michigan's electorate.
• Black voters are 11 to 12% of the state's voters, and Democrats rarely win Michigan without strong turnout from them.
• The deeper pattern: candidates who criticize Israel get attacked across Fox, CNN, and MSNBC alike, regardless of left or right.

Outlook: Obama's endorsement could lift El-Sayed's support among Black voters in what looks like a close general election against Mike Rogers.