El Sayed and Stevens feud explodes days before Michigan Senate showdown

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul el Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), his former primary opponent, are again sparring over Israel just days before voters decide one of the most closely watched contests of the 2026 midterm elections.The dispute centers on an advertisement attacking U.S. aid to Israel run by Rebellion PAC, a left-wing group founded by Cenk Uygur — the uncle of el Sayed booster Hasan Piker. The ad blames the high cost of groceries on Israel, which Jewish leaders have condemned as antisemitic.Stevens asked el Sayed to condemn the advertisement and apologize for his own campaign rhetoric, particularly his suggestion that Israel is responsible for Michigan’s inability to afford schools, healthcare, and childcare. “If those words are wrong when a Political Action Committee supporting his campaign says them, then they are equally wrong when Abdul says them, and Abdul has said them from the start,” Stevens said in a statement. “I therefore expect him to apologize for those statements as well.”The request came ahead of what was to be a joint appearance between Stevens, el Sayed, and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) this weekend at a church in Michigan. El Sayed responded to the request on Friday with a blistering statement of his own accusing Stevens of “relitigating” their primary.“Our campaign is and has always been focused on addressing the most critical challenges Michiganders are facing: skyrocketing gas prices, unaffordable groceries, and the inability to see a doctor,” el Sayed said. “That focus is why our people-powered campaign defeated a historic $70M in outside spending from big corporations and AlPAC on behalf of Congresswoman Stevens.”El Sayed argued that it was time to put all of the emphasis on defeating his Republican opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers.“So while Congresswoman Stevens seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago, let’s all 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,” el Sayed said.The clash did not stop at the dualing statements, however. According to a Friday Politico report, el Sayed’s campaign has also asked Stevens to stay away from all campaign events.The Washington Examiner reached out to el Sayed’s campaign for comment.Rogers was quick to seize on the dispute, saying Stevens was “right” to call out el Sayed in a social media post on Friday evening.“Representative Haley Stevens is a courageous leader who deserves the respect of every Michigan voter,” he said. “She has conducted herself with nothing but class since the Democratic primary, a primary where a majority of voters did not vote for her party’s nominee.”2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS, RESULTS, AND ANALYSISEarlier this week, Stevens’s fiancee, Jason Turkish, told the Detroit News he planned to vote for Rogers. Stevens subsequently told CNN that she would vote for el Sayed, describing them as “a household divided,” while calling on his campaign to “shut out the hate and to call it out.”The Michigan contest is among the key Senate races that could determine control of the chamber. Current polling averages show el Sayed inching ahead of Rogers by only 1 point, according to RealClearPolitics.