Julian Epstein, a prominent Democratic attorney who previously served as chief legal counsel for House Democrats and represented Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, has announced his support for Republican Mike Rogers in the upcoming Michigan Senate race. Epstein declared he is "jumping ship" from his party, citing strong opposition to Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed.
In an op-ed published in The New York Post and detailed in an interview with Fox News Digital, Epstein expressed his belief that the Democratic Party has "gone off the deep end" and that "the lunatics are in charge of the asylum." He articulated concerns that the party is alienating moderates and embracing what he described as "lunatic positions," including stances he believes are anti-constitutional, aligned with radical Islam, or exhibit antisemitism.
Epstein also criticized the party's focus on wealth redistribution over wealth generation, stating, "there's no room, in my view, for people who don't have any interest in building for the next generation but only want to redistribute what others have created and want to basically tear down the free market that has been the most effective anti-poverty liberation machine that human beings have ever invented."
He characterized El-Sayed's platform as mirroring "Sen. Bernie Sanders’ delusion that attaches no importance to generating wealth — and only cares about redistributing it." Epstein further alleged that El-Sayed "expresses sympathy for Mideastern terrorist movements" and avoids offending supporters of Iran, while questioning the Jewish state's right to exist.
Epstein also pointed to Hasan Piker, identified as a principal campaign surrogate for El-Sayed, citing Piker's past controversial statements, including blaming the U.S. for 9/11 and expressing admiration for Mao Zedong, as further evidence of the party's direction.
"Democrats can’t run from this lunacy in November," Epstein stated.
He praised Rogers as a "practical, middle-of-the-road normie guy" who he believes would have aligned with Democrats during the Clinton administration. Epstein's defection comes after El-Sayed narrowly won the Democratic primary against Rep. Haley Stevens, who was considered the establishment favorite.
Epstein warned that his party is "jumping off a cliff" and predicted that a significant number of Democrats will ultimately defect due to the party's current trajectory. He believes Rogers is well-positioned to highlight these concerns for voters in the general election.