Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Responds to JD Vance Insult at Campaign Events

Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed responded to a personal attack by Republican vice presidential hopeful JD Vance during a series of campaign events in Michigan. Vance, speaking at a rally for GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers in Monroe, criticized El-Sayed, calling him a “little weasel” and urging him to be grateful to the country.

El-Sayed later addressed the comment at a gathering in Marquette, noting that “there are always a few very loud people, who are small and want to make us small like them.” He referenced Vance’s Ohio roots, describing the critics as “carnival barkers” and adding that many were from Ohio.

The candidate then turned the mascot reference into a retort, saying, “JD Vance called me a little weasel today. I’m like, ‘No, no, no, what you’re talking about is a Wolverine.’” He continued, “You can take your Buckeye and you can shove it somewhere else,” before noting the rivalry between the University of Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes. El-Sayed concluded by stating, “Here we might be Wildcats, we might be Spartans, we might be Wolverines, but we will never be Buckeyes,” referencing other Michigan college teams.

The exchange highlighted the personal tone of the 2026 midterm campaign in Michigan and underscored the candidates’ use of regional and collegiate identities in their rhetoric.