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Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is pushing back against criticism tied to comments made by left-wing influencer Hasan Piker, saying only he and his official spokespeople speak for his campaign.
The controversy centers on remarks Piker made about American Jews and Israel. Piker, who has campaigned alongside El-Sayed, said that if "Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone's going to come around and take action." The comment sparked swift backlash, adding to an already tense political climate surrounding El-Sayed's Senate bid.
Piker's remarks came in response to audio of Michigan House candidate Jeremy Moss — a Jewish Democrat running for Congress in a suburban Detroit district — in which Moss allegedly said that ensuring the United States continues to support Israel is a central purpose of his campaign. Moss denied the claim, saying the audio was manipulated and unsourced. El-Sayed, for his part, said he is committed to the safety of Jewish people in Michigan, stating, "My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as the commitment I've got to my own kids."
According to Slate, Moss has not yet endorsed El-Sayed for Senate, despite the two agreeing on several major issues. Moss told the outlet, "Abdul and I have agreed on some really big issues. There's no daylight between us on abolishing ICE, attacking billionaires, and having a bolder, tougher, stronger Democratic Party with new leadership." Still, Moss made clear that El-Sayed would need to do more to win over Oakland County's Jewish community before earning his support.
The political stakes are significant. Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers has been actively reaching out to Jewish Democrats concerned about El-Sayed's rhetoric, and some Democrats have indicated a willingness to back Rogers. There are more than 100,000 Jewish voters in Michigan, and Rogers lost his 2024 Senate race to Democrat Elissa Slotkin by fewer than 20,000 votes.
El-Sayed won the Democratic Senate primary by narrowly edging out pro-Israel incumbent Representative Haley Stevens. He now faces Rogers in the general election. Moss said he hopes that the two communities central to this debate — Jewish and Arab American — can find a way to coexist in metro Detroit regardless of the election's outcome. "We are all still here together as neighbors, and we have to make sure that these two communities can continue to live side by side," he said.