‘Jack Mehoff’ Name Raises Questions About El-Sayed Endorsement List

The New York Times is facing criticism over a letter supporting Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, after a name on its public signatory list prompted questions about how the list was checked. The letter was published in a Google document by a group called Michigan Jews for Democracy and said more than 500 people identifying as Jewish leaders or voters supported El-Sayed over Republican Mike Rogers.

The name “Jack Mehoff” appears as number 403 on the list. Hundreds of other entries give only a first name and last initial, making it difficult to independently establish who signed. The list also includes prominent Democratic figures, among them Michigan Attorney General nominee Eli Savit and former congressmen Sander and Andy Levin.

The Times first wrote about the letter on September 17. A spokesperson said the paper considered it newsworthy because of notable signatories and confirmed that the people specifically named in its story had signed. The story also covered a separate letter from Jewish Democrats and independents supporting Rogers.

The clergy listed as signatories have also faced questions about their religious credentials. One, Rabbi Chava Bahle, headed a Unitarian Universalist congregation; another, Rabbi Alana Alpert, is the leader of a Reconstructionist community.

Michigan Jews Against Extremism, which organized the pro-Rogers letter, said it checked signers’ existence and Michigan residency by email. It listed 561 names as of Tuesday. Michigan Jews for Democracy and the El-Sayed campaign had not immediately responded to requests for comment.

A Questionable Name Shouldn’t Erase Jewish Voters’ El-Sayed Support

Critics seized on the name “Jack Mehoff” in a public list supporting Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, using it to cast doubt on a letter signed by more than 500 people identifying as Jewish leaders or voters in Michigan. The list also includes well-known Democratic figures, including Eli Savit and Sander and Andy Levin.

The Times said the letter was newsworthy because of its notable signatories and that it confirmed the people specifically mentioned in its September 17 story had signed. Its coverage also included a separate letter from Jewish Democrats and independents backing Republican Mike Rogers.

The list’s flaws deserve scrutiny: hundreds of entries use only a first name and last initial, and the “Jack Mehoff” entry is conspicuous. But criticism of a document’s vetting does not, by itself, settle what the named signers believe or negate the real people on the list who support El-Sayed despite reservations about his views on Israel.

A rival group backing Rogers said it checked its signers’ existence and Michigan residency by email. Its list had 561 names as of Tuesday. That comparison raises a fair question about verification, but the dispute should not obscure the political choice facing Jewish voters—or the fact that the Times says it checked the individuals it specifically identified.

El-Sayed Endorsement List’s “Jack Mehoff” Entry Undermines Its Claims

The name “Jack Mehoff” appears on a public list used to promote support for Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, exposing how little the document establishes about the breadth of that backing. Hundreds of entries provide only a first name and last initial, leaving signers’ identities difficult to confirm.

The list accompanied a letter claiming more than 500 Jewish leaders or voters in Michigan supported El-Sayed over Republican Mike Rogers. The New York Times covered it on September 17, and the El-Sayed campaign promoted the list the same day. A list that cannot readily establish who many signers are should not be treated as a definitive measure of community sentiment.

The Times says it confirmed that the people specifically named in its story had signed, and says the letter merited coverage because of notable participants. But that defense does not resolve questions about the wider roster. The names of prominent Democrats, including Eli Savit and Sander and Andy Levin, do not verify the hundreds of less identifiable entries.

A group supporting Rogers said it checked signers’ existence and Michigan residency by email; its list numbered 561 as of Tuesday. The contrast underscores why careful verification matters when political campaigns and news coverage present an endorsement as evidence of a community’s views.