Michigan candidate Abdul el Sayed on Friday urged his supporters to stop “making fun” of his rival in the race for the state’s Democratic Senate nomination, telling progressives to focus on the issues instead. 

Democratic voters are choosing between el Sayed, who is backed by socialists, and Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), a comparatively centrist establishment-backed candidate, in the Aug. 4 primary. Ahead of the election, el Sayed admonished his followers, telling them to lay off Stevens, whose behavior is often mocked on social media.