As the three main Michigan Democratic candidates running for the Senate debated on Thursday, the influence of AIPAC spending and antisemitism in the highly competitive primary took center stage.
During the one-hour debate, former Michigan health official Abdul El-Sayed differentiated himself from his two primary opponents — Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) — on the AIPAC issue.
Recommended Stories
“I’m the only candidate on this stage that didn’t ask AIPAC for their support,” El-Sayed said of the American pro-Israel lobbying group. “I don’t think that our taxpayer dollars, which we pay every April, ought to be going to bomb children, to fund bombs and tanks for other countries when we’ve got kids who can’t afford basic things in our home.”
Stevens is heavily backed by AIPAC, while McMorrow receives support from a progressive pro-Israel advocacy group called J Street.
El-Sayed strongly opposes the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and U.S. intervention in Iran. Both conflicts are fueling progressives’ concerns about Israeli influence in American politics through extensive lobbying efforts.
Responding to a question about corporate donations, McMorrow said she has not taken any money from AIPAC.
“This campaign is entirely funded by 120,000 individual donors, more grassroots support than my opponents combined, the most amount of money from Michigan, and we are building up a campaign that shows that we can run very differently,” she said.
Stevens did not directly answer the question on AIPAC, saying instead her campaign was a “love letter to Michigan” because of the grassroots support.
El-Sayed pointed out her evasive answer while arguing how the congresswoman, if elected to the Senate, would support sending more money to Israel to fight its wars.
“It also buys $3.5 billion sent to a foreign military that could be used to get glasses here, to provide healthcare here, to build schools here,” he said. “That’s where our money should be used. People know me. I say the same thing everywhere.”
The topic of antisemitism, specifically whether it has been the source of internal party division during the Israel-Hamas war, was also brought up in a question during the debate. McMorrow referenced an alleged incident at the Michigan Democratic Party convention in April when an activist shouted an antisemitic slur at her husband, who is Jewish, in front of the couple’s 5-year-old daughter.
“That is terrifying,” she said. “We need to be able to state very clearly that what the Netanyahu government has done violates the law, that the violence needs to stop, and that we need to bring about long-term peace and security for Palestinians and for Israelis. And that turning that into not an anti-Netanyahu, but an anti-American Jewish message is dangerous.”
Stevens said residents in her state are afraid of rising political violence and extremism targeting the Jewish community, citing a March ramming attack against a synagogue in her congressional district.
Meanwhile, El-Sayed equated antisemitism with Islamophobia, the latter of which he said he has experienced himself.
GOP’S MIKE ROGERS EDGES DEMOCRATS BATTLING FOR MICHIGAN SENATE SEAT
The progressive candidate has also faced accusations of not being an actual physician. Though he doesn’t have a medical license, El-Sayed holds a medical degree from Columbia University. He posted a photo of the degree, calling out a critical comment made by McMorrow.
The three Michigan Democrats will face off in the state’s Aug. 4 primary, after which the victor will challenge former Rep. Mike Rogers in the general election to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI).
