In a Michigan Senate race that Democrats believe they cannot afford to lose, the party's nominee has asked the candidate he beat in a bruising primary to stay away from his events. Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive who won in August, says he wants no distractions as he runs against Republican Mike Rogers, while the moderate Haley Stevens, who has endorsed him, has kept her distance. The episode shows how hard it can be for a movement to turn a contested primary into a single front, especially when voters are thinking less about the quarrel than about what everyday life costs.
Democrats' Michigan Senate Feud Spills Into Public View as El-Sayed Asks Stevens to Stay Away
In a Michigan Senate race that Democrats believe they cannot afford to lose, the party's nominee has asked the candidate he beat in a bruising primary to stay away from his events. Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive who won in August, says he wants no distractions as he runs against Republican Mike Rogers, while the moderate Haley Stevens, who has endorsed him, has kept her distance. The episode shows how hard it can be for a movement to turn a contested primary into a single front, especially when voters are thinking less about the quarrel than about what everyday life costs.
After a rally in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee in one of the country's tightest Senate races, made a plain request of a fellow Democrat: stay away. He does not want Representative Haley Stevens at his events. "I don't want any distractions," he told reporters, suggesting others were eager to make the race about things it was not about.
The two were supposed to appear together at a Detroit church on Sunday. That plan unravelled after Representative Debbie Dingell spoke with Stevens and told her, in her words, "This isn't working." Dingell said the tension between them had become a distraction and there was nothing to gain from them sharing a room.
The rift runs between the progressive El-Sayed and the more moderate Stevens, whom he beat in a bitter August primary. She endorsed him afterward, yet she had avoided appearing publicly with him while openly criticizing him for weeks. Her fiancé, Jason Turkish, has campaigned for the Republican, Mike Rogers.
The latest clash came days before the planned appearance, when Stevens demanded that El-Sayed denounce an outside group's ad blaming higher prices on US support for Israel's war in Gaza. He replied that she seemed intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago, noting that AIPAC had spent heavily against him. He urged everyone to focus on defeating Rogers and on his broader agenda.
Many Democrats find this unsettling, since Michigan is seen as essential to retaking the Senate. Mallory McMorrow put it bluntly: voters are talking about the price of gas and groceries, not about ads or Stevens. The open question now is whether the party's factions can settle on a common message before November. For the moment, the Sunday event meant to display unity will feature only one of them.
After a campaign rally in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee in one of the country's tightest Senate races, told reporters what he wanted from a fellow Democrat: distance. He did not want Representative Haley Stevens at his events. "I don't want any distractions," he said, as quoted by the New York Times, adding that other people seemed more interested in making the race about things it was not about.
The two had been scheduled to appear together on Sunday at a church service in Detroit. That plan fell apart after Representative Debbie Dingell spoke with Stevens. Dingell later told CNN she had said to her, "This isn't working." The tension between the two, Dingell said, was a distraction, and "there's nothing to be gained by the two of them being in the same place."
The rupture is between the progressive El-Sayed and the more moderate Stevens, whom he beat in a bitter primary in August. Stevens endorsed him shortly after the primary and had planned to campaign with him on Sunday. Until now, though, she had avoided appearing publicly with her former opponent, whom she has criticized openly for weeks. Her fiance, Jason Turkish, has campaigned on behalf of the Republican candidate, Mike Rogers.
The latest flare-up came two days before the planned joint appearance. Stevens demanded that El-Sayed denounce a political ad from an outside group that blamed higher prices on US support for Israel's war in Gaza.
El-Sayed answered with a statement accusing Stevens of seeming "intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago." The statement noted that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee had spent heavily to defeat him in that primary. It closed by urging everyone to focus on beating Mike Rogers, holding Trump accountable, getting money out of politics, putting money in pockets, and passing Medicare for All.
The open feuding worries many Democrats, who regard the Michigan contest as a must-win if the party is to retake control of the Senate. State senator Mallory McMorrow was blunt about it when she spoke to CNN on Friday. "I have no idea what the hell Haley Stevens is doing," she said. "This is a moment where we have to recognize the stakes." Voters, she said, are not talking about ads or about Stevens. They are talking about the price of gas and groceries.
With the election close, the question is whether the party's factions can settle into a common message. For now, the Sunday church appearance that was meant to show unity will not include both of them together.
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