El-Sayed drops Stevens from campaign event

Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D) told Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), his once primary opponent, to stay away from his campaign events and disinvited her from a planned appearance on Sunday, a source familiar confirmed to NewsNation, The Hill’s broadcasting partner.

The source said El-Sayed does not want the ongoing fight with Stevens to distract from the issues in the final days of his hard-fought Senate campaign.

A spokesperson for Stevens did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.

El-Sayed was set to appear alongside Stevens and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) at a church in Detroit, a show of unity despite some harsh words exchanged between the two candidates throughout the week.

Stevens released a statement saying she had accepted Clyburn’s invitation to appear alongside El-Sayed, but still criticized the Senate nominee for not condemning an ad that appeared to blame Israel for high grocery prices.

“The ad did not invent its argument; it dramatized one Dr. El-Sayed has made in his own words throughout this campaign: that Israel is the reason Michigan cannot afford schools, healthcare, and child care,” Stevens said in her statement. “I therefore expect him to apologize for those statements as well.”

The ad was run digitally and was bought by an outside progressive group, not El-Sayed’s campaign.

El-Sayed shot back in a statement on Friday, saying Stevens is focused on rehashing their August primary, which he narrowly won.

“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,” El-Sayed said in a statement posted to the social platform X.

Support for Israel was a major issue in the Democratic primary. Stevens was backed by millions in funds from pro-Israel lobbying groups, which El-Sayed criticized her for. The Democratic Senate nominee is critical of Israel and has called for the U.S. to stop sending aid to the country.

Since the primary, courting Jewish voters has been a hurdle for El-Sayed. His Republican opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers, has worked to earn the support of disaffected Democrats, including those who are Jewish.

While Stevens told CNN this week that she still plans to vote for El-Sayed, her fiancé, who is Jewish, announced that he would be voting for Rogers.