El-Sayed Faces Attacks Over Muslim Ties and Past Statements
Abdul El-Sayed, who won Michigan's Democratic Senate primary by one percentage point Tuesday, took his first national media questions Sunday on Meet the Press.
- El-Sayed called Piker's 2019 remark that America 'deserved 9/11' a 'dumb statement' and said Piker had disavowed it.
- He left open the possibility of continuing to campaign with Piker in the general election.
- On healthcare, El-Sayed said Americans would pay 'a little bit more in taxes' in place of private insurance premiums.
- $2.5 trillion to $3.5 trillion annually: a 2020 Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimate for Medicare for All's added federal cost.
Why it matters: Michigan is a competitive general election state that Kamala Harris narrowly lost in 2020; El-Sayed also needs to consolidate Democrats still loyal to primary rival Rep. Haley Stevens.
- AIPAC spent heavily against El-Sayed in the primary and is expected to spend tens of millions more backing Rogers in the general.
- 1-in-3 Michigan households currently carry medical debt, according to El-Sayed's own campaign argument for overhauling health coverage.
How 31 sources split on this story
Where they split: Whether El-Sayed's tax-and-healthcare trade-off is a reasonable policy exchange or an admission that working-class voters will pay more is the central factual disagreement in coverage.
The Hill1w+Tim Scott says El-Sayed ‘making it easier’ for GOP
RealClearPolitics1w+Michigan, El-Sayed and a Reckoning for the DemocratsYNYahoo News1w+Fetterman 'dares' El-Sayed to stick with Piker, claims Michigan nominee has 'little man syndrome energy'
Associated Press1w+El-Sayed spoke with Obama as Michigan Democrats look to unite after a bitter Senate primaryPolPolitiFact1w+No, Abdul El-Sayed didn’t say U.S. deserves 9/11TNDThe National Desk1w+El-Sayed win spotlights democratic divide over Israel, Jewish votersLeft coverage, 5 sources: The left frames El-Sayed's Piker defense as reasonable pushback against bad-faith 'cancel culture' attacks rooted in Islamophobia, noting that Stevens' fixation on Piker ultimately backfired in the primary.
The Independent1w+Trump ally Sen. Tim Scott pressed on Abdul El-Sayed adverts
Mediaite1w+CNN’s Manu Raju Confronts Tim Scott on Controversial El-Sayed Attack Ads: Are You Trying to Say, ‘Hint, Hint…He’s Muslim?’
ABC News1w+El-Sayed spoke with Obama as Michigan Democrats look to unite
CNN1w+Abdul El-Sayed and Barack Obama spoke as Democrats seek to unify following heated Senate primary
Raw Story1w+MAGA battered by epic clapback over surging Dem's supposed 'hot mic' momentRight coverage, 20 sources: The right frames El-Sayed's Meet the Press appearance as a series of damaging admissions — that he will raise taxes on the middle class and will not cut ties with a streamer who made inflammatory remarks about 9/11.
RedState1w+Feud Escalation: Fetterman Slams El-Sayed’s 'Weird Little Man Syndrome Energy'
New York Post1w+Fetterman 'dares' El-Sayed to stick with Hasan Piker, claims Michigan nominee has 'little man syndrome energy'
Twitchy1w+DSA Dial-Up: Dem Michigan Senate Hopeful Abdul El-Sayed Says Obama Called, May Campaign for Him
The Daily Wire1w+Former Jill Biden Spokesman’s Red Line That Could Make Him Vote Republican
The Gateway Pundit1w+WATCH: White House Shares Abdul El-Sayed Highlight Reel: Defund Police, Transform Supreme Court, Wealth Tax, Abolish ICE, Impeach Trump, and More * The Gateway Pundit * by Jordan Conradson
Washington Examiner1w+Abdul el Sayed doesn’t just have a socialism problem — he has an Iran problem
BizPac Review1w+Dem Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed outlines laying ‘runway’ by ‘hauling up people’ to hold trump admin ‘accountable’
Fox News1w+Socialist wave 'ripping America apart' will hit a wall with Michigan voters: Rising star House candidate
The Washington Times1w+El-Sayed calls for Democratic unity as Michigan Senate race heats up
Townhall1w+'America Deserved 9/11': El-Sayed Won't Cut Off the Streamer Who Said It
American Thinker1w+Abdul El-Sayed: The Enemy Inside the Gates
Breitbart News1w+El-Sayed: I Care About Hasan Piker's Audience Not His CommentsWhat’s next: Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed El-Sayed over the weekend, calling him ready for 'bold solutions' for working families.
- Rogers is already using El-Sayed's Piker association and healthcare comments in attack ads.
- Will Barack Obama endorse El-Sayed, and would that endorsement help consolidate Black voters in Detroit and Wayne County?
- How much will AIPAC spend against El-Sayed in the general, and will the same Piker-focused ads prove more effective with a broader electorate than they did in the primary?