Washington — Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and his former primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, traded barbs Friday, raising questions about whether they will appear together at a campaign event scheduled for Sunday.
The dispute erupted just days before one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate contests, with Republican nominee Mike Rogers working to attract moderate Democratic voters. El-Sayed and Stevens presented sharply different visions for the party during the primary. Although Stevens endorsed El-Sayed after his victory, the two have rarely campaigned together since.
In a statement Friday evening, El-Sayed accused Stevens of appearing “intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago.”
His criticism followed Stevens’ demand that El-Sayed apologize for remarks he made during the campaign blaming Israel for Michigan’s inability to afford schools, health care and child care.
“Abdul promises to get money out of politics,” Stevens said in a statement. “He can begin by getting Israel out of his explanation for everything Michigan cannot afford.”
Stevens also called on El-Sayed to denounce an advertisement from an outside political action committee that she described as antisemitic. The video ad shows a couple in a grocery store deciding to leave a carton of eggs behind because, they say, “we have to set that $7 aside for killing Palestinians.” The pair then criticize the billions of dollars in U.S. military assistance provided to Israel.
El-Sayed’s campaign said earlier this week that it had no connection “in any way” to the ad, which was produced by Rebellion PAC.
“No one speaks for Abdul but himself and his campaign,” the campaign said in a statement.
Stevens’ Friday statement also urged El-Sayed to remove an advertisement featuring far-right podcaster and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
It remained unclear whether the exchange would affect the candidates’ planned appearance Sunday.
Stevens said she intended to join El-Sayed and South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn at a Detroit church. However, an announcement from El-Sayed’s campaign about the event with Clyburn did not reference Stevens.
Earlier in the week, Stevens’ fiancé, Jason Turkish, told The Detroit News that he planned to vote for Rogers. Stevens later said in a CNN interview that she would vote for El-Sayed, describing their situation as “a household divided.” She nevertheless urged his campaign “to shut out the hate and to call it out.”
