Abdul El-Sayed Tells Haley Stevens to Stay Away Amid Escalating Michigan Senate Race Feud
A bitter dispute over an ad linking US support for Israel to grocery prices has led to a public falling out between the Democratic Senate candidate and his former primary rival.
Tensions have flared between progressive Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan, culminating in El-Sayed's campaign asking Stevens to stay away from a scheduled rally and future events.
The public dispute intensified after Stevens' fiancé, Jason Turkish, stated on Wednesday that he would vote for El-Sayed's Republican opponent, Mike Rogers. Stevens, a staunch supporter of Israel, later appeared on CNN, reaffirming her support for El-Sayed but urging his campaign to "shut out the hate and call it out."
Initially, the two Democrats appeared to reconcile, scheduling a Sunday campaign event in Detroit with Congressman Jim Clyburn. However, the reconciliation was short-lived.
On Friday, Stevens criticized El-Sayed on social media, demanding he condemn an advertisement that linked U.S. support for Israel to rising grocery prices. The ad, produced by Rebellion PAC, featured conversations in a grocery store where one woman stated she couldn't afford eggs because she had to use her money "killing Palestinians."
El-Sayed's campaign has stated that the ad was not created or endorsed by them and that they are "always focused on addressing the most critical challenges Michiganders are facing." El-Sayed himself told reporters on Saturday that he "did not agree with the contents of that ad."
Stevens responded that she was glad El-Sayed did not agree with the "vile ad which claimed Israel and Jews were to blame for the high costs of groceries." She added, "Whenever anyone tries to set us against each other, we have an obligation to stand up and fight back."
In response to Stevens' public criticism, El-Sayed's campaign asked her to stay away from the Sunday church event and all future campaign events. A source told Politico that Stevens should remain away to avoid "distract[ing] from the central issues of the campaign."
El-Sayed, when asked by reporters on Saturday if he wanted Stevens to appear with him at the church event, said that she "wants to talk about other things." He laughed when asked if Stevens was trying to sabotage his campaign, stating, "That is not a question for me."
Rogers, the Republican candidate, has indicated he would welcome Stevens at his events.
Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed by less than one percentage point, had previously pledged to support him on the campaign trail. El-Sayed and Stevens last appeared together on August 6, two days after the primary election.
Michigan has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1994. The race is seen as critical in a state that Donald Trump won in 2016 and 2024. Trump has previously attacked El-Sayed's Muslim faith, calling him a "jihadist" and suggesting that Jewish or Black voters would not be intelligent if they voted for him.