During the Michigan senatorial debate on Thursday night, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed may have unintentionally raised further concerns among Jewish voters about his candidacy.
El-Sayed has been facing mounting challenges on the campaign trail lately. Some traditional Democrat supporters, especially Black and Jewish voters, have shown skepticism towards him. In response, former President Barack Obama has offered his help to rally support for El-Sayed in Detroit.
One observer noted, “If they were undecided going into this debate, I think Jewish Democrats in Michigan just decided who they will vote for.”
The debate against Republican Mike Rogers appeared to be particularly unhelpful for El-Sayed among Michigan’s Jewish community. Notably, El-Sayed, a Muslim, dodged a direct question about whether Israel or Iran posed a greater threat to the United States, labeling it as “a ridiculous hypothetical.”
He stated, “Our ostensible ally in Israel has lobbied us to go to war with Iran… I don’t want to be pushed into war by Israel, and I don’t want to be in a war with Iran. I want our money spent here to buy schools and health care and child care here. I don’t understand why that is so inconceivable.”
Moderator Rick Albin pressed him again to choose between Israel and Iran, yet El-Sayed stood firm, repeating his earlier dismissal of the question.
Midway through the debate, Michael LaRosa, who was a communications director for Jill Biden, remarked on social media about El-Sayed’s performance: “If they were undecided going into this debate, I think Jewish Democrats in Michigan just decided who they will vote for.”
Throughout the debate, Rogers leveraged his speaking time to remind viewers of El-Sayed’s alleged connections to Islamic terrorist organizations. For instance, while El-Sayed’s mother was never charged with a crime, she worked for a group later classified as a terrorist organization, which some believe may have funded al-Qaeda.
When Rogers mentioned this, El-Sayed seemed to anticipate the accusation and interrupted, asking if Rogers was going to attack his mother.
Rogers further accused El-Sayed of not condemning the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and referenced a Hezbollah-inspired attack on Jewish children in Michigan earlier that year. He also claimed El-Sayed had accepted funding from groups associated with the Muslim Brotherhood.
In response, El-Sayed argued, “I did condemn it, and you know it. Come on, my guy, like, don’t make stuff up.”
Rogers continued his attack, questioning El-Sayed’s ability to condemn Hamas or the Muslim Brotherhood, while alluding to a video where El-Sayed mentioned his ties to Egypt, claiming dual citizenship. El-Sayed’s campaign stated he is not a dual citizen but that his grandfather had sought such citizenship for him when he was eligible due to his parents’ Egypt origins.
El-Sayed attempted to counter Rogers’ accusations but often interjected during Rogers’ time. When given the chance to respond, he directed his comments to the audience, branding himself as the candidate focused on their needs.
“He wanted to make this about him or me, but the question is about you. Can you afford your gas? Can you afford your groceries?” he emphasized at one point.
After the debate, a reporter asked El-Sayed why he hadn’t defended himself against the terrorism-related allegations. He suggested that these attacks were rooted in racial or religious bias, stating, “I don’t dignify those kinds of claims because, at the end of the day, this is about trying to point to somebody whose name is different to make all kinds of hearsay accusations.”
The Michigan GOP claimed that Rogers had “dominated the debate stage,” further asserting that El-Sayed was more concerned about foreign issues than local Michigan interests, tying him to radical groups.
So far, according to latest polls, El-Sayed maintains a narrow lead over Rogers. The election is just around the corner, and the dynamics of this race could continue to shift significantly.
