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Michigan's Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Congresswoman Haley Stevens are clashing ahead of a joint rally in Detroit. The dispute centers around an ad by an outside progressive group that Stevens criticized as antisemitic. She expected El-Sayed to condemn the ad, which blames high prices in Michigan on Israel and the war in Gaza. However, El-Sayed did not formally denounce the ad, stating that Stevens "seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago," as reported by NBC News.
Stevens, who lost to El-Sayed in the Democratic primary, still supports him despite her fiancé, Jason Turkish, declaring his intention to vote for Republican Mike Rogers. Turkish, a Jewish Democrat, cited concerns over El-Sayed's rhetoric, which he believes makes the Jewish community feel unsafe. According to The Detroit News, Turkish stated, "Every time he talks about genocide (in Gaza), Jews get death threats."
El-Sayed, a vocal critic of the Israeli government, has distanced himself from the ad, produced by Rebellion PAC, but has not explicitly disavowed its message. He emphasized his campaign's focus on affordability and health care, noting the significant outside spending against him during the primary, including over $30 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
The tension between El-Sayed and Stevens comes as they prepare to appear at a rally alongside South Carolina Democrat James Clyburn on Sunday. The rally is part of El-Sayed's campaign efforts ahead of the upcoming election against Rogers, a race rated as a toss-up by the Cook Political Report. The outcome could impact control of the U.S. Senate, as highlighted by WLNS.