Hughley links Detroit store owner rumors to 1982 voting pattern

D.L. Hughley told listeners on his show on Monday that political narratives in Detroit are being used to split communities. He connected current tensions to a voting pattern first identified in 1982.

The comedian spent four minutes on his show discussing the Bradley Effect. This term refers to the idea that some voters tell pollsters one thing but vote differently in the booth. The name comes from Tom Bradley, a former Los Angeles mayor. Hughley described Bradley as perhaps the most popular mayor in the city's history.

During Bradley's 1982 campaign for California governor, polls showed him leading by a wide margin. Hughley said his parents celebrated the night before the election, expecting a Black governor. Bradley lost the race. "Those polls turned out to be lies," Hughley said. He argued that this discrepancy between polling data and actual votes still happens in elections today.

Hughley then discussed the recent race in Michigan. He compared the actions of Haley Stevens to the behavior of Donald Trump on January 6, 2021. He said he saw no real difference other than the method used. In his view, both figures refused to accept results and moved to disrupt the process.

The comedian noted that Stevens received strong support from Black voters in Detroit. He claimed her numbers were far higher than those of Abdul El-Sayed. Hughley accused Stevens of using a Black church as a backdrop to hurt her own supporters. He said this tactic was a way to "stab her constituents in the back."

Hughley also detailed a trip to Detroit he took last Wednesday. He met with El-Sayed after receiving an invitation from American Muslim and Arab Muslim community members. A friend who does charity work in the city told Hughley that many Black residents feel disrespected by Muslim owners of local liquor stores. Hughley said he had heard similar complaints from several people.

He pushed back on the idea that the owners were primarily Muslim. Hughley stated that most liquor, convenience, party, and tobacco store owners in Detroit are Chaldeans, who are Catholic Christians. He said the next largest group includes Lebanese and Yemeni owners, many of whom are Arab Christians. He pointed out that El-Sayed's family is from Egypt, which is in Africa, while Lebanon and Yemen are in the Middle East.

Hughley said he did not know of any El-Sayed family member who owned a liquor store. "If you're going to use the talking points of the right, at least get your geography right," he said. He warned that these stories are designed to pit groups against one another. He asked voters to check their facts before letting a complaint shape their choice. "How do you help anybody when your antidote is hate and divisiveness?" he asked.