Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Saturday criticized Vice President JD Vance for misrepresenting his past comments on Sharia law, viewing the attacks as an attempt to distract from substantive issues.
Vance, speaking at a rally in Ohio on Friday, claimed El-Sayed argued that criticisms of Sharia law are rooted in white supremacy. El-Sayed, who is American-born with Egyptian immigrant parents, had previously addressed an Oklahoma measure from 2010 that sought to prevent state courts from considering Sharia law. In that context, he stated that the motivations behind the ban were linked to white supremacy. A federal judge later struck down the ban in 2013.
"I’d love to go back in time and tell my papaw that there’s a man who claims to stand for working people who says not only should we have but, if you criticize it, you’re a white supremacist," Vance said, according to the notes.
Responding to Vance’s remarks, El-Sayed suggested the Vice President was implying that some individuals are "more American than others because they can point to their papaw who was here earlier." El-Sayed then posed a direct question to Vance: "Why is it then, how do you look your parents-in-law in the eye and say that somehow they’re less American than you are? Because that’s what he’s implying there."
El-Sayed was referring to Vance's wife, Usha Vance, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from India before their daughter's birth.
An analysis by The Washington Post indicated a rise in conservative posts targeting El-Sayed's Muslim identity following his primary win. El-Sayed currently holds a narrow lead over his opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), in the upcoming November election, according to an AARP poll.
During an appearance on MS NOW, El-Sayed addressed what he described as the "bigger picture" behind Vance's attacks. "This is about trying to change the channel," El-Sayed stated, arguing that Vance is attempting to divert attention from pressing economic concerns and other issues affecting American households. He concluded, "So if you don’t want to talk about what you’re doing, that’s fine, but I encourage you to leave my name and my background out of it."