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See the full story · 3 sourcesDemocratic Senate nominee in Michigan Abdul El-Sayed is trying to put some distance between himself and one of his top supporters, Hasan Piker , after the controversial streamer sparked a new firestorm.
El-Sayed, who is facing off against former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in battleground Michigan in a high-stakes Senate showdown, on Monday emphasized in a statement, "I want to be crystal clear, nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople."
The statement from El-Sayed came after Piker, on his stream last week, featured an image of state Sen. Jeremy Moss, the Democratic nominee in Michigan's 11th Congressional District. Moss, who is Jewish, has said that people are sharing a fake audio clip of him claiming that his entire reason for running for Congress is to make sure that America continues to support Israel.
"If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone is going to come around and take action, not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews," Piker warned.
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Piker, who endorsed El-Sayed for the Democratic nomination and appeared at some of the candidate's campaign events including a primary night party in Detroit, has repeatedly stood by his numerous past comments critical of Israel over its ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.
Piker's latest comments have been blasted by a growing number of Republicans and Democrats since they grabbed attention this past weekend. Democratic Rep. Hillary Scholten of Michigan charged that Piker is "a hack who thrives on hate."
Rogers, in a social media post on Sunday, took aim at both Piker and El-Sayed.
"More calls for violence coming out of the El-Sayed campaign," Rogers said. And he claimed, "Here is his running mate, Hasan Piker, saying that if AMERICAN JEWS support Israel, they will be violently targeted because of it."
Rogers added, "Absolutely DISGUSTING. If Abdul El-Sayed had any courage at all, he would call this out and disavow Hasan Piker once and for all. We’re waiting, Abdul…"
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El-Sayed, in his statement, wrote, "I believe all Americans deserve the right to advocate for what they believe without fear of violence. This is particularly true for communities that have been intimidated for their beliefs in the past."
"My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own daughters. Antisemitism is a scourge, and we need to address it in all its forms. And I stand against any rhetoric that puts the community at risk," he added.
In an apparent jab at Rogers and other Republicans who have repeatedly tied El-Sayed to Piker, the Democratic nominee wrote that "while politicians and pundits try to make this race about a Twitch streamer, we’re going to be talking about gas, groceries, good schools, and healthcare. Because that’s what Michiganders keep asking about.'
Responding, Rogers on Monday afternoon argued, "Abdul’s attempt at distancing himself from this violent and hateful rhetoric now that he and Hasan won the primary is the epitome of what a conman does — says one thing when it serves him and another when it doesn’t. His rhetoric is causing fear in Michigan communities, is un-American, and makes him unfit to represent our state."
A former Wayne County Health Department director, El-Sayed, if elected in November, would make history as the nation's first Muslim senator. The epidemiologist who unsuccessfully ran for governor as an insurgent candidate in 2018 has made support for Medicare for all a major component of his campaign and has also called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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But it's El-Sayed's stance and comments on Israel that have offended some Jewish people in Michigan, a state that also has a large Arab and Muslim population.
El-Sayed used the word "bloodthirsty" to characterize Israel's military moves in Gaza in an MS NOW interview this month and accused Israeli leadership of genocide against Palestinians. He has argued against unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel, as have other progressive politicians. And El-Sayed has repeatedly declined to directly answer whether Israel has the right to exist.
But El-Sayed has also repeatedly stated that he stands "in solidarity with my Jewish sisters and brothers" to "condemn antisemitism."
After falling just 20,000 votes shy of winning the U.S. Senate election in Michigan two years ago, Rogers is urging Democrats, including Jewish voters, to cross party lines and vote for him as he makes a second straight Senate bid.
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After a combustible and divisive Democratic Senate primary in which El-Sayed narrowly edged more moderate Rep. Haley Stevens for the nomination, Rogers is heavily courting Democrats disaffected with their left-wing nominee.
A key part of Rogers' pitch is directed toward Jewish Democrats , who are uneasy with El–Sayed's vocal criticism of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza and who are outraged by El-Sayed's association with Piker.
"I usually vote Democrat, but I'm going to be voting for Mike Rogers," Rabbi Asher Lopatin said as he stood next to Rogers late last week as the former congressman and former FBI agent unveiled his Democrats for Mike coalition at a campaign event on Detroit's west side.
Lopatin, a rabbi in suburban Detroit who has made trips to the Middle East in search of peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors, argued that El-Sayed "has shown contempt for the Jewish community and, frankly, for American values by making Hasan Piker, a vicious antisemite and racist, his campaign surrogate and somebody he buddies up with."
Meanwhile, some Jewish leaders in Michigan are circulating an open letter urging Jewi...
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