Michigan Attorney General Abandons Democratic Convention as Party Succumbs to Anti-Israel Extremism
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Attorney General Dana Nessel will not attend the Michigan Democratic Party's 2026 nominating convention, citing security fears after a surge of anti-Israel and antisemitic incidents fueled by radical pro-Palestinian activists within the party.
Michigan Democrats gathered in Lansing on Saturday for their 2026 state nominating convention, but the event was marred by escalating antisemitic harassment and aggressive pro-Palestinian protests that have taken root within the party’s ranks. Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is Jewish, announced she would not attend, stating she fears for her safety and expects to be targeted by hostile activists if she appears.
"I don’t feel safe going. I feel like my presence isn’t going to be welcome. I don’t want to get chased around. I don’t want to get harassed. I don’t want to get yelled and screamed at. I don’t want to get booed off the stage, irrespective of what I’m saying," Nessel told a round-table discussion last month.
The Michigan Democratic Party issued a generic statement about security and denouncing all forms of hate, but their words ring hollow as they continue to tolerate and even encourage anti-Israel extremism. State party spokesperson Derrick Honeyman claimed the party is working with stakeholders and officials to prepare for the August 29 convention at the Lansing Center, but many doubt their ability to control the radical elements now dominating the party.
This follows an April meeting where anti-Israel agitators shouted down pro-Israel speakers, including Rep. Haley Stevens, creating a hostile environment for Jewish participants. While some, like Joan Lowenstein of the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus, tried to minimize the issue, others such as Rabbi Asher Lopatin have described the atmosphere as traumatizing for Jews who no longer feel safe in their own party.
The Democratic Senate primary in Michigan is now a battleground between Rep. Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed, a vocal critic of U.S. military aid to Israel who has aligned himself with the party’s far-left, anti-Israel wing. The outcome could push the party further into radicalism and have serious consequences for the midterm Senate race.
In response to this growing hostility, a group of Jewish leaders has circulated an open letter urging Jewish Democrats and independents to consider supporting Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers, citing the Democratic Party’s failure to stand up to anti-Jewish sentiment and protect its own members.