Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive and staunch critic of Israel’s wars in the Middle East, has narrowly won Michigan’s Democratic US Senate primary despite record spending by the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC in support of his rival.
El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants and a former health official who has never held elected office, received 48.48% of the vote on Tuesday, according to the AP. His main opponent, moderate US Representative Haley Stevens, received 47.51%. El-Sayed would become the first Muslim US senator if he defeats former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers in November.
Throughout his campaign, El-Sayed has repeatedly described Israel’s war in Gaza as a “genocide” and argued that the Israeli government was as “bloodthirsty” and as “evil” as Hamas. He said he opposed “unconditional” military aid to any country, including Israel.
“I don’t want to fund a foreign military that does genocide, apartheid, or is taking us to a war we don’t need to fight. I believe in equal rights to peace, dignity and self-determination for Jewish-Israelis and Palestinians alike,” the Democrat told CNN.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) spent $32 million helping Stevens, an amount the AP described as the group’s largest-ever investment in a single race.
According to the New York Times, AIPAC funding accounted for more than half of the money spent by dozens of outside groups on advertising supporting Stevens.
Several Jewish organizations have denounced El-Sayed’s stance, including the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA). The American Jewish Committee (AJC) described his victory as “a deeply troubling reflection of the growing mainstreaming of divisive rhetoric and exclusionary politics in America.”
Speaking in Las Vegas on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said El-Sayed was “full of s**t” and a “man of hate.”
“He doesn’t love Jewish people. He hates them with a passion that burns in his heart,” Trump said.
Vice President J.D. Vance also sharply criticized El-Sayed that evening in an interview with Fox News.
“He represents the modern Democratic coalition, which is self-hating white liberals united to people who just came to the country for the first time and don’t actually have the sense of appreciation for it,” Vance said.
El-Sayed has denied accusations of anti-Semitism and vowed to protect the Jewish community.
“I want you to know that my commitment to Jewish safety is the same commitment that I have to the safety of my own daughters,” he said during his victory speech.
Several Democratic politicians highly critical of Israel have risen to prominence in recent years, including democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, who was elected mayor of New York last year.