Unity Collapses in Michigan as El-Sayed Tells Stevens to Stay Away
Just days before voters decide who fills Michigan's open Senate seat, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed's campaign has asked former primary rival Rep. Haley Stevens to stay away from all of his remaining campaign events, "as not to distract from the central issues of the campaign." The request, reported by POLITICO on Oct. 30 and attributed to two people familiar with the decision, killed an 11th-hour bid to project unity between the two former rivals.
El-Sayed narrowly defeated Stevens in a hard-fought Democratic primary on Aug. 4 that exposed deep divisions over support for Israel. The two have appeared together only once since, at a unity breakfast on Aug. 6, two days after the primary. Stevens had pledged to do "whatever he wants me to do" on the trail, yet months passed without a joint appearance even as Republicans worked to exploit the split.
The planned showpiece was a Nov. 1 appearance with Rep. Jim Clyburn at a Black church in Detroit, aimed at shoring up support among Black voters, particularly in Wayne County, where Stevens defeated El-Sayed in the primary. Clyburn, Rep. Debbie Dingell and Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel acted as intermediaries to arrange it. With Michigan early voting underway since Oct. 24 and the event landing two days before the election, its impact was always uncertain; now even the joint appearance itself is in doubt.
On Oct. 30, Stevens released a lengthy statement demanding that El-Sayed condemn as antisemitic an ad from an outside group, Rebellion PAC, associated with commentator Cenk Uygur. Set in a grocery store, the spot shows a young couple putting back a carton of eggs because they must "set that $7 aside for killing Palestinians," then complains about billions in U.S. military support for Israel. Stevens said the ad "dramatized one Dr. El-Sayed has made in his own words throughout this campaign" and expected him to apologize for his own rhetoric as well, writing that he should get "Israel out of his explanation for everything Michigan cannot afford."
El-Sayed did not address the ad or his past comments on Israel. Instead, his campaign said it "has always been focused on addressing the most critical challenges Michiganders are facing" and noted that the people-powered campaign defeated a historic $70 million in outside spending from big corporations and AIPAC on Stevens' behalf. Asked previously about the ad's argument, El-Sayed told The Associated Press he opposes funding foreign militaries generally: "That's Israel. It's also Egypt. It's also Saudi Arabia and Qatar and (United Arab Emirates)."
Republican nominee Mike Rogers, a former congressman, seized on the rift, calling Stevens a "courageous leader" and saying she was "absolutely right" to demand an apology. The seat, being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, is pivotal to Democratic hopes of retaking the Senate. Polls favor El-Sayed: a Mitchell Research survey for CBS Detroit conducted Oct. 26-27 put him at 51% to Rogers' 44%, with 3% undecided and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points, while a CNN/SSRS poll conducted Oct. 20-27 showed him leading 49% to 42%. One survey found him drawing over 77% of voters under 30 and winning independents 45.5% to 40%. But Democrats fear the feud could depress turnout among the Black and Jewish voters Stevens herself described this week as the coalition that "came out and voted for me in droves" — the very voters the Nov. 1 event was meant to reassure.
Discussion: When former primary rivals clash publicly in a campaign's final days, how much does a show of unity matter to you as a voter? Do endorsements and joint appearances sway your decision, or do you focus on each candidate's own record and ideas?