El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Primary Amid Debate Over Israel and Zionism

The Michigan Democratic Senate primary was framed before the vote as a contest between Abdul El-Sayed, described by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) as an insurgent left-winger, and Haley Stevens, a congresswoman backed by the Democratic establishment. According to the AEI report, the race was largely about Israel. That report says El-Sayed has described Israel as a “rogue state” and equated it with Hamas, has called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal,” and has refused to affirm Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.

Majalla reported that El-Sayed, an Egyptian-American epidemiologist and progressive candidate, won the Democratic primary by defeating Stevens. Its headline describes his victory as a defeat for the pro-Israel lobby. Other reports refer to El-Sayed as the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat in Michigan.

Fox News reported that a Michigan Democrat who lost the Senate primary to El-Sayed had taken a critical position against Bernie Sanders over Sanders’s stance on Israel. The report says El-Sayed’s critique of Sanders reflects a wider pattern in which political figures are scrutinized for their views on international issues. It also says the discourse around Israel, Zionism and antisemitism has grown increasingly polarized, prompting public protests and policy debates. According to the same report, the issue has also produced religious arguments, with various churches and religious leaders weighing in.

The Guardian reported that El-Sayed’s candidacy has divided Michigan’s Jewish community, with his stance on Israel drawing both support and criticism. The report describes an attack in which Ayman Ghazali drove his truck into Temple Israel in Detroit, causing a fire and injuring a security guard. Jess Newman, a political organizer and school board member, is quoted as supporting El-Sayed despite disagreements with him over Israel. The Guardian also reports that El-Sayed’s campaign emphasizes affordability over Middle Eastern conflict. Protecting congregations and their people from violence is a matter of defending the vulnerable (Proverbs 31:8-9).

Lever News reported that critics say El-Sayed aligns with Hasan Piker, a far-left streamer whom the critics accuse of antisemitism. The report says El-Sayed has been criticized for calling Israel “bloodthirsty” and for what critics describe as apparent empathy for an attacker of a Detroit-area synagogue. Lever reports that El-Sayed has since expressed regret for the timing of those comments.