El-Sayed Campaign Seeks to Keep Stevens Away From Events
The campaign dispute between Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens intensified on October 31, days before voters choose between El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers. El-Sayed’s campaign urged Stevens to skip its remaining events, including a planned Sunday church appearance in Detroit with Rep. Jim Clyburn. Clyburn adviser Antjuan Seawright said Stevens remained invited, while Clyburn said he did not know whether she would attend.
The rift followed Stevens’ demand that El-Sayed condemn a Rebellion PAC ad portraying support for Israel as diverting funds from needs at home. The ad includes a woman saying she cannot afford eggs because money must go toward “killing Palestinians.” Stevens called the ad antisemitic and also urged El-Sayed to apologize for his own comments about Israel aid. El-Sayed’s campaign said it was not affiliated with the ad; he said he disagreed with its contents.
El-Sayed accused Stevens of reopening their August primary contest and urged Democrats to focus on defeating Rogers and addressing costs, health care and political spending. Stevens endorsed El-Sayed after losing the primary, but her fiancé, Jason Turkish, has said he will vote for Rogers. Stevens says she will vote for El-Sayed.
The public split has alarmed some Democrats concerned about party unity in a closely watched race that could affect control of the Senate. Rogers praised Stevens’ criticism of the ad and said he would welcome her at his campaign events.
Democratic Infighting Threatens Focus on Michigan Voters’ Costs
With Michigan’s Senate race nearing Election Day, the Democratic nominee’s campaign has asked Rep. Haley Stevens not to attend its remaining scheduled events. The move risks turning a contest against Republican Mike Rogers into a public fight between Democrats, after Stevens lost the August primary and later endorsed Abdul El-Sayed.
Stevens demanded that El-Sayed condemn a Rebellion PAC ad connecting U.S. support for Israel with the cost of groceries. El-Sayed’s campaign says it had no role in the ad, and El-Sayed said he disagreed with its contents. He has urged Democrats to focus instead on household costs, health care and defeating Rogers, accusing Stevens of reopening the primary.
A planned Sunday church appearance in Detroit with Rep. Jim Clyburn was meant to bring the former rivals together. El-Sayed’s campaign sought to exclude Stevens, but Clyburn’s adviser said the invitation remained open. Stevens says she will vote for El-Sayed, even as her fiancé has said he will vote for Rogers.
The argument is a costly distraction in a race Democrats see as important to winning back the Senate. Stevens’ concerns about the ad deserve a response, but the campaign’s focus should be on voters’ needs and the contest with Rogers—not on sidelining a former rival who endorsed the nominee.
El-Sayed’s Campaign Escalates Feud After Stevens Challenges Ad
The Michigan Democratic Senate campaign is consumed by a fight the party can ill afford. Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign asked Rep. Haley Stevens not to attend its remaining scheduled events after she demanded that he condemn a Rebellion PAC ad linking U.S. support for Israel with the cost of groceries.
El-Sayed’s campaign says it was not affiliated with the ad, and El-Sayed said he disagreed with its contents. But Stevens also called for an apology over his own comments about Israel aid. Instead of resolving the dispute, El-Sayed accused her of relitigating their primary and urged Democrats to move on.
Stevens endorsed El-Sayed after losing the August primary and says she will vote for him. Her fiancé, Jason Turkish, says he will vote for Republican Mike Rogers. The campaign sought to keep Stevens away from a Sunday Detroit church appearance with Rep. Jim Clyburn, though Clyburn’s adviser said the invitation remained open.
Rogers praised Stevens for challenging the ad and said he would welcome her at his events. The episode gives Republicans a chance to spotlight Democratic divisions just days before voters decide a closely watched Senate race. The party’s leaders should be asking why its nominee’s campaign is pushing away a potential ally instead of presenting a united case to voters.
Reported by MSNBC, The Daily Caller, FOX 2 Detroit, The Guardian US, The Washington Examiner, Breitbart, Daily Mail US, PJ Media, WTOP, Talking Points Memo, Hot Air.
