El-Sayed basically confirms Jewish voters' worst fears about him during chippy debate

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed may have given Jewish voters even more pause about him during the Michigan senatorial debate Thursday night.El-Sayed has struggled on the campaign trail lately. Black and Jewish voters who traditionally vote Democrat have expressed skepticism about El-Sayed, prompting former President Barack Obama to pledge to stump for him in Detroit.'If they were undecided going into this debate, I think Jewish Democrats in Michigan just decided who they will vote for.'The debate against Republican Mike Rogers on Thursday night likely did El-Sayed no favors with Michigan Jews. For one thing, El-Sayed, who is Muslim, refused to say whether Israel or Iran poses a bigger threat to the United States. He attempted to pivot away from the question, calling it "a ridiculous hypothetical.""Our ostensible ally in Israel has lobbied us to go to war with Iran. We have watched as Iran has responded by bombing all kinds of countries in the Middle East and then choking off the world's energy supply. So this is a situation in which I don't think we should be a part. I don't want to be pushed into war by Israel, and I don't want to be in a war with Iran. I want our money spent here to buy schools and health care and child care here. I don't understand why that is so inconceivable," he explained.Moderator Rick Albin pressed him one more time to choose between Israel and Iran, but El-Sayed once again called it "a ridiculous hypothetical."Midway through the debate, Michael LaRosa, former spokesperson for Jill Biden and special assistant to President Joe Biden, wrote on X, "If they were undecided going into this debate, I think Jewish Democrats in Michigan just decided who they will vote for."RELATED: 'The panic is palpable': El-Sayed facing opposition from key Michigan Democrat groups weeks before election Throughout the debate, Rogers used his time to remind listeners about El-Sayed's troubling ties to Islamic terrorist groups. For instance, though she was never charged with any crime, El-Sayed's birth mother long worked for a group that was later designated a specially designated global terrorist organization and that may also have helped fund al-Qaeda.After Rogers brought up the terrorism issue and then mentioned his own mother, El-Sayed seemed to anticipate where Rogers was headed and immediately interrupted: "You goin' after my mom?"Rogers also accused El-Sayed of failing to condemn the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as well as the Hezbollah-inspired attack on Jewish schoolchildren in Michigan back in March. Rogers further claimed that El-Sayed has accepted money from groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood."I did condemn it, and you know it. Come on, my guy, like, don't make stuff up," the 41-year-old shot back.Rogers continued: "He can’t condemn Hamas. He can’t condemn the Muslim Brotherhood. He says his home is Egypt. This is all starting to make sense."In mentioning Egypt, Rogers was likely referring to a recently resurfaced video in which El-Sayed states that he carries "dual citizenship" and spent summers in a foreign country. The country was elsewhere identified as Egypt. According to the Washington Free Beacon, El-Sayed's campaign said that he "is not a dual citizen by any verifiable metric and never has been," but that his grandfather had previously "pursued Egyptian citizenship on his behalf, for which he was eligible due to his parents being born in Egypt."El-Sayed did respond to the attacks from Rogers, but usually by interrupting Rogers. When allotted response time, El-Sayed often looked into the camera and portrayed himself as the only candidate interested in "you," the people."He wanted to make this about him or me, but the question is about you. Can you afford your gas? Can you afford your groceries?" he said at one point.After the debate ended, a reporter asked El-Sayed why he did not defend himself against the terrorism-related accusations. He replied by insinuating that the accusations were racist or Islamophobic: "I don't dignify those kinds of claims because, at the end of the day, again, this is about trying to point to somebody whose name is different to make all kinds of hearsay accusations that are just not worth the dignity of a response."The Michigan GOP claimed Thursday night that Rogers had "dominate[d] the debate stage," while senior Michigan GOP communications adviser Greg Manz added: "Conman Abdul cares more about Palestine than Michigan, which should concern every Michigander, given that the same radical Islamists who fund him also fund the Muslim Brotherhood."The El-Sayed campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.For now, El-Sayed maintains a slight lead over Rogers, according to Blaze News' Poll Watch. For the latest Michigan Senate seat updates — and to follow other important midterm races across the nation — check out Poll Watch, available to Blaze News, BlazeTV+, and Blaze Unlimited subscribers. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!