Vice President JD Vance attacks Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed during Michigan visit
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On a campaign stop in Michigan, Vice President JD Vance launched a combative attack on Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, branding his views radical and warning that his policies could hurt the auto industry.
Vice President JD Vance used a visit to Michigan on Tuesday to attack the suitability of Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed. Speaking to a crowd outside Detroit before boarding Air Force Two, Vance said El-Sayed’s positions were “radical” and warned that his support for certain policies could damage the state’s auto sector.
"Abdul El-Sayed is a little bit of a psychopath, and we’re going to just try to make the argument as well as we can and help Mike out a little bit," Vance said.
Vance also alleged that El-Sayed had expressed “anti-white racial hatred,” though he offered no specific examples. He suggested that El-Sayed’s stance on diversity, equity and inclusion measures in healthcare and government contracting was extreme, and claimed the candidate would support actions that could harm Michigan’s manufacturing base.
The vice president further asserted that El-Sayed had misrepresented his background, stating that the candidate was born in Rochester Hills but claimed to be an immigrant from North Africa. Vance characterized this as a falsehood intended to appeal to voters.
Vance contrasted El-Sayed with Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, describing Rogers as a “decent guy” and a public servant. He stopped short of endorsing President Donald Trump’s more extreme characterizations of El-Sayed, noting uncertainty about the candidate’s personal motivations.
El-Sayed’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment. Polls from RealClearPolitics show the race within a few points, with El-Sayed leading Rogers by about 2.5 percentage points.