Michigan US Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed is scheduled to attend a campaign fundraiser co-hosted by an attorney who previously drew criticism for honoring her grandfather's service in the German military during World War I and World War II.
Kelly Neumann, a prominent Democratic fundraiser and lawyer, is co-hosting the event to support El-Sayed's primary campaign against US Representative Haley Stevens for the Democratic nomination. The primary election is scheduled for August 4.
Neumann faced backlash in 2024 after posting on Facebook about her grandfather, Albert Neumann. She described him as a "German soldier" who fought on the "German side" in both World Wars. She also wrote that he escaped to Brazil with her father after Germany's defeat in WWII and later moved to Detroit, where they built a life without speaking English.
Neumann referred to her grandfather as "one of my best friends" and credited him with being one of the first people to accept her when she came out as gay. She argued that her grandfather's story demonstrated that "people can change and love indeed can win."
Following the criticism, Neumann deleted the post and later issued an apology in March, blaming Stevens' campaign for publicizing the old post. She disputed characterizations of her grandfather as a Nazi soldier, suggesting that reporting implied he was in the German Wehrmacht. Experts and the Holocaust Memorial Museum have noted that German soldiers during that era fought for the Nazi regime.
"I sincerely apologize to anyone who was hurt by post from years ago, as that was certainly never my intention," Neumann stated on Facebook. "I only wished to offer a personal story about my grandfather who was the first person who accepted me for me.
"To be clear, my grandfather was a german soldier, not a nazi as the Congresswoman’s team suggested."
El-Sayed's campaign acknowledged the controversy surrounding Neumann's past statements. A campaign representative told Jewish Insider that Neumann has hosted or donated to numerous Democratic officials, including El-Sayed's opponent, Representative Stevens. The representative added, "All of us, including the host, condemn Nazi ideology."
Neumann had previously supported Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow's bid for the Senate seat, but McMorrow withdrew from the race earlier in July and has not endorsed either El-Sayed or Stevens. El-Sayed and Stevens are competing to succeed retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters.