🗳 🇺🇸 🇮🇱 A rift between El-Sayed and his pro-Israel Democratic opponent puts Michigan Jews on edge.
An 11th-hour public spat between Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and his former pro-Israel primary opponent is further exacerbating tensions between Jewish voters and the candidate ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections.
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, who narrowly lost the race for the Democratic nomination to Al-Said this summer, has previously endorsed the former challenger and was scheduled to join him at a rally Sunday in the crucial final days of the campaign. Michigan is locked in a close race that could help determine which party controls the Senate. Instead of a show of unity, Stevens is now strongly criticizing El-Sayed for his recent criticism of Israel and for not condemning a PAC ad, made by an outside group to boost his campaign, that blamed Israel for rising grocery prices. El-Sayed pushed back, invoking Stevens' close relationship with the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC.
Stevens, who represents a large Jewish district in the suburbs of Detroit, on Friday told Al-Sayed in a series of interviews with The New York Times that were published early Saturday morning.
The conflict comes at a time when much of the Democratic establishment has rallied behind El-Sayed in the key Senate race, even as deep concerns remain among many Democratic Jewish voters. Stevens' own fiancee, Jewish-Democratic megadonor Jason Turkish, said this week that he would vote for Republican nominee Mike Rogers. Stevens told The Times that she met with a rabbi before their wedding and contemplated conversion.