Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed rejected an appeal from primary rival Representative Haley Stevens on Friday to publicly condemn an ad supporting his campaign, leading to a public feud days before the general election in Michigan.
The Bottom Line
- Haley Stevens conditioned her appearance at a Sunday joint event on El-Sayed condemning an outside PAC ad and apologizing for his rhetoric on Israel.
- El-Sayed rejected the demands, stating that Stevens is trying to relitigate a primary election that ended three months ago.
- It remains unclear if Stevens will still attend Sunday’s scheduled campaign event alongside South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn.
A Clash Over Outside Spending and Rhetoric
The public rift between the two Democrats unfolded late Friday as Republican nominee Mike Rogers seeks to peel off centrist Democratic voters in one of the country’s most hotly contested Senate races, cbsnews.com reported. Stevens demanded that El-Sayed apologize for suggesting during the campaign that Israel is the reason Michigan cannot afford schools, health care, and child care. She also urged him to condemn an outside ad from Rebellion PAC that blamed support for Israel on higher food prices and featured a couple discussing grocery costs.
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El-Sayed’s campaign stated earlier in the week that it was not affiliated in any way with the Rebellion PAC ad. Stevens additionally called on El-Sayed to take down his own campaign ad featuring podcaster Tucker Carlson, after warning that his rhetoric alienates undecided Jewish and Black voters. Stevens’ fiancé, Jason Turkish, told The Detroit News earlier in the week that he would vote for Rogers, while Stevens later stated in a CNN interview that she would vote for El-Sayed despite her household being divided.
El-Sayed Pushes Back Against Demands
In a statement released Friday evening, El-Sayed refused the requests and directed his focus outward toward the general election. While Congresswoman Stevens seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago, let’s all focus on the task at hand: that’s beating Mike Rogers, holding Trump accountable, and getting money out of politics, putting money in pockets, and passing Medicare for All,
he said, according to jewishinsider.com.
El-Sayed’s campaign added that his platform has consistently addressed the core challenges facing Michigan residents. His team noted that this focus allowed their people-powered campaign to overcome a historic $70 million in outside spending from big corporations and AIPAC on behalf of Stevens during the primary contest.
| Candidate | Primary Status | Stance on Recent Dispute |
|---|---|---|
| Abdul El-Sayed | Democratic Nominee | Rejected apology demands; focused on general election opponents. |
| Haley Stevens | Representative (D-MI) | Demanded condemnation of outside ads and campaign rhetoric. |
Uncertainty Ahead of Sunday Event
The immediate future of Sunday’s joint campaign event remains unconfirmed following the exchange. Stevens had initially planned to appear alongside El-Sayed at a Detroit church with Representative Jim Clyburn. However, an announcement from El-Sayed’s campaign regarding the appearance did not mention Stevens, and she did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding her attendance.
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