DETROIT — Michigan Senate candidate Abdul el Sayed’s campaign has asked Rep. Haley Stevens to stay away from his remaining campaign events, an extraordinary escalation in a Democratic feud threatening to undermine the party’s effort to flip a critical Senate seat just days before Election Day.
The request, confirmed to the Washington Examiner by a person familiar with the decision Saturday morning, comes as the Michigan Senate nominee and his former primary rival have resumed publicly attacking each other over Israel, campaign spending, and the direction of the Democratic Party.
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a campaign rally at the UAW Local 600 union hall, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Dearborn, Mich. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AP26303750234096.jpg?w=1024" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AP26303750234096.jpg?w=1024" alt="Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a campaign rally at the UAW Local 600 union hall, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Dearborn, Mich." class="wp-image-4786908" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AP26303750234096.jpg 1024w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AP26303750234096.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AP26303750234096.jpg?resize=768,512 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a campaign rally at the UAW Local 600 union hall, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Dearborn, Mich. (AP Photo)
Stevens should stay away “so as not to distract from the central issues of the campaign,” the person said.
The move threatens to deepen divisions among Michigan Democrats at the worst possible moment for the party. El Sayed narrowly defeated Stevens in the August primary and now needs to consolidate support among her voters to defeat Republican Mike Rogers in a race that could help determine control of the Senate.
The latest clash erupted Friday after Stevens demanded that el Sayed apologize for remarks blaming Israel for Michigan’s inability to afford schools, healthcare, and childcare.
In a lengthy statement, Stevens welcomed what she described as el Sayed’s expected condemnation of an “antisemitic campaign advertisement” featuring a Michigan couple discussing rising grocery prices and linking them to U.S. military support for Israel. The two had been expected to attend a church service in Detroit with Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) on Sunday afternoon. The event will now include only el Sayed and Clyburn, with Stevens not participating.
Earlier in the week, Jason Turkish, a lifelong Jewish Democrat, told the Washington Examiner he plans to vote for Rogers in Michigan’s closely watched Senate race and accused el Sayed of making the community less safe for Jews. Turkish also said el Sayed’s association with controversial political streamer Hasan Piker should disqualify him from receiving the Jewish vote.
Turkish, a disabilities and civil rights attorney from Huntington Woods, said he had hoped el Sayed would use the time since winning the Democratic primary to move beyond the divisions over Israel and unite the party. Instead, Turkish said, he has become convinced that el Sayed’s rhetoric and associations make him unfit for the Senate. He repeatedly criticized the ad, calling it vile.
The advertisement has become another flashpoint in the increasingly bitter dispute over el Sayed’s position on Israel, which emerged as a central issue during the Democratic primary and has continued to divide the party in the general election.
El Sayed responded Friday by accusing Stevens of trying to relitigate a primary that ended three months ago, rather than focus on defeating Rogers, whom he routinely calls “Trump’s hand-picked candidate.”
He also criticized millions in outside spending by corporations and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Stevens’s behalf during the primary campaign.
The public break between the former rivals highlights the challenge facing Democrats. The party has been trying to unite competing factions behind el Sayed.
Stevens had been a prominent contender for the nomination. Her supporters include moderates and voters concerned about el Sayed’s positions on Israel.
EL SAYED AND STEVENS FEUD EXPLODES DAYS BEFORE MICHIGAN SENATE SHOWDOWN
Rogers, a former Republican congressman, is seeking to capitalize on the contest as Republicans work to defend their Senate majority. He has aligned himself with President Donald Trump.
The stakes of the Senate race extend beyond Michigan. Democrats are hoping to reclaim the Senate majority, and the state’s open seat is among the party’s most consequential opportunities. But the intraparty dispute also reflects a larger debate over the Democratic Party’s direction heading into the 2028 presidential cycle: whether to embrace a more progressive political approach or return to the more traditional Democratic coalition Stevens represented.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
