Democratic Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign has asked Rep. Haley Stevens not to attend any of his upcoming campaign events, putting an end to an 11th-hour bid to present a united front between the former primary rivals.
After months of not appearing together, Stevens and El-Sayed were both expected to attend a Nov. 1 church event with South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn. But on Oct. 30 Stevens released an extensive statement calling on El-Sayed to condemn as antisemitic an ad from an outside PAC that blames U.S. cost of living issues on aid to Israel. Stevens also said El-Sayed should apologize for his own campaign rhetoric.
“Abdul promises to get money out of politics,” Stevens wrote. “He can begin by getting Israel out of his explanation
for everything Michigan cannot afford.”
A source who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed to USA TODAY that the El-Sayed campaign has requested Stevens keep her distance. The news was first reported by Politico.
El-Sayed responded soon after, saying Stevens seemed "intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago" instead of focusing on defeating Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers.
Politico first reported the El-Sayed campaign's request to Stevens. A spokesperson for Stevens did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the El-Sayed campaign also did not immediately respond to a request for comment and questions about their plans to attend the Nov. 1 event.
The back-and-forth comes as El-Sayed seeks to unify his party's base ahead of an election that could decide control of the U.S. Senate. Part of the effort has involved solidifying his support with Jewish Democrats who disagree with his criticism of Israel. During a recent general election debate, El-Sayed said Iran and Israel both pose a threat to the U.S., with “one at risk of attacking us, one getting us into wars we have no business fighting.”
The recent ad features a young couple in a grocery store discussing whether they can afford groceries because their money goes toward supporting Israel. It ends with images of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and two of his allies as the narrator says “Mike Rogers is for they/them.”
The spot was released by Rebellion PAC, a political action committee created by leftwing commentator Cenk Uygur, who first released a version of the ad to support his failed 2024 presidential campaign.
El-Sayed’s campaign said in a statement that the ad "is not affiliated in any way” with the campaign. “No one speaks for Abdul but himself and his campaign,” the statement read.
Some Democrats, like Stevens, have criticized El-Sayed for not condemning the ad as antisemitic. “A disclaimer is not a condemnation, and everyone in my community knows the difference,” she said.
But other Democrats have questioned Stevens for becoming a distraction days before the election.
“I have no idea what the hell Haley Stevens is doing,” Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who dropped out of the Michigan Senate primary, said on CNN’s “The Arena” Oct. 30. “This is a moment where we have to recognize the stakes.”
Questions about Stevens' support have been brewing for several days. Her fiancé, Jason Turkish, told the Detroit News Oct. 28 he plans to vote for El-Sayed’s Republican opponent Mike Rogers. Stevens then told CNN that she plans to vote for El-Sayed; a day later, news broke that she would attend the church event.
Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat who helped facilitate the joint appearance, defended the late joint appearance. “I think everybody here is working for victory on Tuesday and being strong as a broader team,” Dingell said on Meet the Press NOW Oct. 30.
In her statement, Stevens also noted that Uygur is the uncle of Hasan Piker, the controversial Twitch streamer and progressive surrogate with whom El-Sayed campaigned with during the primary but from whom he has since sought to distance himself.
El-Sayed alluded to the pair's August primary, in which the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and its affiliated groups spent tens of millions of dollars to boost Stevens and defeat him. He attributed his victory over Stevens to his focus on affordability issues.
"Now the stakes are even higher – defeating Trump's handpicked candidate, taking back the Senate, and defending our democracy,” the statement read. “That should be the priority for all of us right now.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: El-Sayed asks Stevens not to attend final events in key Michigan race
