El-Sayed campaign tells Rep. Stevens to stay away from events as Democratic fight spills into public view
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Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s team asked Rep. Haley Stevens to skip his campaign appearances after she demanded he denounce an ad tying the cost of living to aid for Israel, widening a party dispute that reflects deeper tensions over messaging, Israel, and who gets to define Democratic politics in Michigan.
Democratic Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign has asked Rep. Haley Stevens not to attend any of his upcoming campaign events, ending a brief and uneasy attempt to project unity between the former primary rivals. The request came after Stevens issued a statement on Oct. 30 urging El-Sayed to condemn a political-action-committee ad that she described as antisemitic and to 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 the request, and Politico first reported the development. El-Sayed responded that Stevens seemed more interested in "relitigating a primary that ended three months ago" than in helping defeat Republican nominee Mike Rogers.
Both campaigns declined to comment when approached for further remarks. The dispute comes as El-Sayed works to consolidate Democratic support ahead of a Senate race that could help determine control of the U.S. Senate. His campaign has stressed outreach to Jewish Democrats who have raised concerns about his criticism of Israel, underscoring the party’s ongoing internal struggle over how to balance moral criticism, coalition politics, and electoral strategy.
The contested ad, produced by Rebellion PAC, shows a grocery-store scene implying that aid to Israel is driving up U.S. living costs and ends with images of Israeli leaders. El-Sayed’s campaign said the ad is not affiliated with his campaign and that only he and his team speak for him.
Some Democrats, including Stevens, have criticized El-Sayed for not explicitly calling the ad antisemitic, while others have questioned Stevens’ timing in raising the issue so close to the election. Rep. Debbie Dingell defended the earlier joint appearance, saying all participants are focused on winning on Election Day.