Jason Turkish, the fiancé of Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., announced he will vote for Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers, citing concerns that Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed is antisemitic. Turkish, a registered Democrat, made the announcement at a Wednesday night event sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition.
"I waited, and I watched and and I listened for Abdul to moderate – but he didn't moderate, he escalated," Turkish told reporters. "He's gotten worse, and worse and worse as this general election campaign has gone on. Rather than bringing people together he's just driven them further and further apart."
El-Sayed, who defeated Stevens in a contentious Democratic primary, has been a vocal critic of Israel's actions in Gaza, referring to the conflict as a "genocide." His stance has drawn criticism from some Jewish groups and individuals, who argue his rhetoric endangers the Jewish community.
Turkish specifically pointed to El-Sayed's repeated use of the term "genocide" and his refusal to condemn certain advertisements as reasons for his decision. "When he says genocide over and over again, when he refuses to condemn an ad that says Jews are to blame for the price of bananas, he makes my community less safe," Turkish stated. He also criticized El-Sayed's ties to streamer Hasan Piker, who has made controversial remarks about Jewish Americans.
Despite her fiancé's stance, Rep. Stevens has continued to support El-Sayed as the Democratic nominee. "Like a lot of households across America, we're a house divided," Stevens told CNN. "I still very much want our Democratic nominee, his name is Abdul, to win this race. There's so much on the line."
Turkish, a Michigan lawyer, described his decision as "putting country before party" and stated, "This is not someone we can let into the United States Senate." Rogers, speaking at the same event, echoed concerns about El-Sayed's foreign policy positions, questioning his understanding of U.S. adversaries.
This is not the first time figures associated with Stevens have expressed reservations about El-Sayed. Earlier this week, David Kramer, Stevens' former campaign chair, also announced he would be voting for Rogers. Stevens herself has faced criticism from within her party for not offering an explicit endorsement of El-Sayed after the primary, though she has publicly stated her desire for him to win.