DETROIT — Feuding Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens were scheduled to make their first joint campaign appearance since August this weekend.
Instead, their rift grew uglier, with El-Sayed’s campaign telling Stevens to stay away in the waning days of the state’s pivotal race, a Democratic source familiar with the matter confirmed to MS NOW Saturday.
The source requested anonymity to discuss information the individual was not authorized to disclose. Politico was first to report on the flaring public tensions between El-Sayed and Stevens.
Michigan GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers immediately seized on the fractured Democratic dynamic, suggesting Stevens should campaign with him.
“I would welcome her, if she wanted to join us at an event or or any of our campaign events, I welcome her to do that,” Rogers told MS NOW on Saturday as he campaigned just three days out from Election Day in one of the most consequential — and vicious — contests of the cycle.
It appeared the former Democratic primary rivals were on the verge of making peace until Stevens on Friday demanded that El-Sayed apologize for his criticism of Israel and denounce an ad from Rebellion PAC, an outside political action committee. El-Sayed’s campaign had previously said the ad was “not affiliated in any way” with him or his candidacy.
The ad attacks Rogers over his support for Israel and suggests U.S. aid to Israel is the reason why Americans are paying more for groceries.
“This ad tells Michigan families they cannot afford groceries because their money has to be set aside for ‘killing Palestinians,’ and it blames our close ally Israel for everything Michiganders cannot afford,” Stevens said in a statement on Friday.
Stevens, who endorsed El-Sayed after her primary loss, doubled down on her support for the Senate candidate during an interview on CNN Wednesday, saying she and her fiancé are a “household divided” after he announced he would vote for Rogers.
A former consultant to Stevens’ failed Senate primary campaign weighed into the intra-party melee Saturday by attacking the congresswoman’s fiancé, Jason Turkish.
“Jason is vaporizing Haley’s future so that he can be a main character in this moment and it is sad to watch her participate in that,” Caitlin Legacki said in a social media post.
Stevens suggested she would appear at the church service on Sunday alongside El-Sayed and Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., if El-Sayed would apologize.
“Abdul promises to get money out of politics,” Stevens said. “He can begin by getting Israel out of his explanation for everything Michigan cannot afford.”
Antjuan Seawright, an adviser to Clyburn, told MS NOW that the invitation to attend church in Detroit “still stands” for Stevens and El-Sayed. Seawright suggested that Clyburn’s invitation is separate from El-Sayed telling Stevens to stay away from all campaign events.
El-Sayed said in a statement on Friday that Stevens “seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago.” Instead, he said, Democrats should focus “on the task at hand: that’s beating Mike Rogers, holding Trump accountable, and getting money out of politics, putting money in pockets, and passing Medicare for All.”
Rogers joined the fray, calling Stevens a “courageous leader who deserves the respect of every Michigan voter.” He said she was “absolutely right” to call on El-Sayed to denounce the ad.
The post El-Sayed Senate campaign asks Haley Stevens to stay away in Michigan appeared first on MS NOW.
From MS Now.

Leave a Reply