Michigan Senate Race Tests Democratic Unity as El-Sayed Faces Lingering Divisions/ NEWSLOOKS/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Democratic divisions remain unresolved in Michigan’s Senate race as Abdul El-Sayed competes against Republican Mike Rogers. Rep. Haley Stevens reaffirmed her support for El-Sayed while urging him to address concerns among voters who backed her in the primary. El-Sayed is courting students and rural voters, but disputes over Israel-related advertising and his political associations continue to complicate that effort.
Quick Look
- Pivotal contest: Michigan’s Senate race remains important to the battle for control of the chamber.
- Primary divisions: Some Democrats remain uneasy about nominee Abdul El-Sayed.
- Split endorsements: Haley Stevens supports El-Sayed, while her fiance, Jason Turkish, says he will vote for Mike Rogers.
- Advertising dispute: An independent group’s ad linked U.S. support for Israel to grocery prices.
- El-Sayed’s response: He said the advertisement was unrelated to his campaign.
- Coalition concerns: Stevens urged him to make Jewish and Black voters who supported her feel welcome.
- Republican vulnerabilities: Rogers faces voter frustration with Trump, the Iran war and high costs.
- Outreach strategy: El-Sayed is seeking support from college students and residents of heavily Republican communities.
Deep Look
Michigan Democrats Enter Final Week With Divisions Unresolved
Democrats remain divided over Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate candidacy less than a week before Election Day, raising questions about whether dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump will be enough to overcome tensions within their own coalition.
El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers in a pivotal Michigan contest.
Since a contentious Democratic primary, El-Sayed has emphasized expanding the electorate, particularly among college students and rural residents, rather than concentrating exclusively on consolidating traditional Democratic voting groups.
That strategy has unfolded alongside persistent criticism from some party figures and voters.
Stevens Supports El-Sayed as Her Fiance Backs Rogers
The divisions became public again Wednesday when Jason Turkish, the fiance of El-Sayed’s former primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, told The Detroit News he planned to vote for Rogers.
Stevens subsequently appeared on CNN to reaffirm her support for El-Sayed while pressing his campaign to address concerns within the coalition that backed her.
She urged him to “shut out the hate and call it out.”
“Make people who are in my coalition, right, make them feel comfortable about coming to the polls,” Stevens said.
Jewish and Black voters were important sources of support for Stevens during the primary.
Israel-Related Advertising Renews Tensions
Some members of Michigan’s large Jewish community have expressed concern about El-Sayed’s criticism of Israel, previous remarks and association with controversial streamer Hasan Piker.
Turkish and others have argued that El-Sayed has not sufficiently addressed those concerns before the general election.
The latest dispute involves an advertisement from Rebellion PAC, an independent left-wing organization, linking U.S. support for Israel to higher grocery prices.
El-Sayed distanced his campaign from the advertisement.
“That has nothing to do with our campaign,” he said. “It’s certainly not what I want to be talking about right now.”
Stevens and other Democrats urged him to go beyond denying involvement and explicitly condemn the advertisement’s content.
Rogers Faces Challenges From His Alignment With Trump
Republicans are confronting their own vulnerabilitiesincluding voter dissatisfaction with Trump, the Iran war and elevated living costs.
Rogers has remained closely aligned with the president on most issues.
At a Michigan rally Sunday, he appeared alongside Trump and credited the president with bringing manufacturing jobs back to the state.
El-Sayed has sought to turn dissatisfaction with the administration into support, including by campaigning in heavily Republican communities in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Conservative Outreach Creates Another Point of Friction
El-Sayed’s campaign also released an advertisement featuring favorable comments about him from prominent conservatives, including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Carlson has faced accusations of antisemitism, which he denies.
Using his remarks in the campaign advertisement generated further concern among some Jewish voters.
Rabbi Aaron Starr of Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield criticized both El-Sayed’s campaign advertisement and the separate Rebellion PAC spot during a call with reporters.
“We are one week away from the election, and it feels like the temperature has turned way up,” Starr said. “Instead of things getting better over the last seven weeks, they’ve actually gotten worse.”
The competing pressures leave El-Sayed balancing efforts to attract new voters with demands to reassure parts of the Democratic coalition before the Nov. 3 election.
More on US News