A simmering feud between Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and his former Michigan primary rival has erupted again just days before Tuesday’s midterm election, with El-Sayed’s campaign asking Rep. Haley Stevens not to attend its events.
The dispute resurfaced after Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed by roughly 1 percentage point, called on him to apologize for saying, “Israel is the reason Michigan cannot afford schools, health care, and child care.”
In a lengthy statement Friday, Stevens said she welcomed his “expected condemnation” of what she described as an “antisemitic campaign advertisement.” The ad features a Michigan couple discussing rising food prices and blaming them in part on US military support for Israel.
El-Sayed responded Friday, saying Stevens “seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago.” He urged her instead to focus on defeating former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, whom he called “Trump’s hand-picked candidate.”
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El-Sayed also criticized what he called “$70M in outside spending from big corporations and AIPAC on behalf of Congresswoman Stevens.”
Jason Turkish, Stevens’ fiancé and a supporter of Rogers, told Fox News that El-Sayed’s campaign wants Stevens to stay away from upcoming events.
The public clash threatens to disrupt El-Sayed’s effort to unite Democrats in the final days of the campaign. He has maintained a narrow lead over Rogers in public polling.
