In Michigan, the Democratic Senate primary is coming into sharper focus as both remaining candidates clashed on multiple issues during a Tuesday night debate with less than one month to go in their campaigns.
Former Wayne County Health Director Abdul el Sayed primarily attacked Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) on the influence that corporate money interests and Israeli lobbyists hold over her campaign. Stevens defended herself by claiming the GOP is spending money to “prop up” el Sayed’s campaign because he will be an easier candidate for Republican candidate Mike Rogers to defeat in November.
The debate, hosted by WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, came two days after Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow suspended her campaign.
Here are the biggest issues that were brought up by the two candidates:
Corporate money takes center stage
When the debate opened, el Sayed and Stevens immediately criticized each other. Stevens called her primary opponent a “celebrity senator,” saying Michigan voters “need a workhorse” instead. El Sayed shot back, accusing her of being “bought off by corporations.”
Stevens also claimed el Sayed is a “millionaire,” pointing to his refusal to disclose his personal wealth as proof. El Sayed directed attention away from himself, bringing up corporate money again.
“The question is not whether or not you’re a millionaire,” he said. “The question is whether or not you are bowing down to billionaires.”
Stevens has benefited from donations by health insurance company Cigna, kidney dialysis services giant DaVita, asset management firm BlackRock, and weapons and technology manufacturer Axon Enterprise. She has also benefited from outside groups’ funding advertisements to cast her in a positive light.
Despite the accusations, the centrist congresswoman insists “no one owns” her vote or her policies.
Meanwhile, el Sayed prided himself on not taking money from corporations. It’s why he’s become popular among the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, demonstrated by his endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). Many anti-establishment Democrat candidates this election cycle have seen success using the same types of messaging as el Sayed.
The former public health official name-dropped McMorrow during the debate, saying she was committed to eliminating corporate influence in national politics like him.
“Mallory was clear that she wanted to reject the power of corporate money and AIPAC money and Chuck Schumer in our politics,” he said. “I want to reject the power of corporate money, AIPAC money, and Chuck Schumer in our politics.”
Israel and AIPAC
Along similar lines, el Sayed tied his opponent to outside spending from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and support for Israel.
“They clearly want one individual, and it’s not me,” he said of the pro-Israel lobby. “I don’t take that money.”
El Sayed is strongly opposed to foreign aid for Israel, especially in relation to the war in Gaza that has put Palestinian civilians at risk. Conversely, Stevens is a staunch supporter of Israel. She specifically backs the continued sale of American weapons to the Jewish state, while simultaneously backing humanitarian aid for Gaza.
“I can say that Israel has a right to peacefully exist alongside the people of Palestine and in Gaza,” she said.
Stevens, however, is not fond of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, likening him to a bully for criticizing her on television. El Sayed had his own take on the situation.
“I don’t think Benjamin Netanyahu is attacking her to actually attack her,” he said. “I think he’s attacking her to try and steer away the stink of how staunchly she stands for their policy, so let’s take that opportunity. Explain what you’ve given away for AIPAC support in this race.”
Abolishing vs. reforming ICE
El Sayed reiterated his proposal for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whereas Stevens seeks to reform the federal agency.
ICE has become more controversial since the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota earlier this year. Democrats believe immigration officers have gone beyond their purview of detaining illegal immigrants and need to be held accountable. Compared to Stevens, El Sayed favors a more aggressive approach to rein in ICE.
“ICE is about normalizing a paramilitary force in our streets,” he said. “I’ve been clear that you can’t reform ICE, you can’t re-train ICE. You have to abolish ICE.”
The progressive candidate went on to personally attack the congresswoman for accepting money from lobbyists and political action committees for ICE contractors and for voting in favor of thanking ICE. The latter comment references a Republican-led resolution condemning an antisemitic attack in Colorado last year, which included a line thanking ICE.
Stevens defended her vote, accusing el Sayed of adopting Republican tactics to benefit politically.
“Instead of bringing us together, Republicans put in a cynical point about thanking ICE,” she said. “I am always going to stand up to violence, and I just wish my opponent wouldn’t pursue the cynical approaches of Republicans when we do need to be united.”
Both call the other a Republican pawn
In one of her more notable moments, Stevens accused her foe of receiving funding from the Republican Party.
She claimed the GOP is “spending thousands of dollars to prop up [el Sayed’s] campaign because they think it will make it easier for Mike Rogers to win” in November.
El Sayed countered by saying recent polls show he’s the “most electable Democrat” because “it’s not enough to offer people two options that kind of look the same on the issues that matter the most,” alluding to the policy similarities between Stevens and Rogers. Stevens said the polls that el Sayed was bragging about were “false.”
The GOP is spending more of its resources on attacking el Sayed in primary-season ads. This gives the impression that Republicans believe he is the weaker candidate compared to Stevens.
Michigan GOP sees el Sayed as winner
The Michigan Republican Party seems to think el Sayed won the debate on Tuesday and released a statement that didn’t mention Stevens, criticizing el Sayed’s “radical, Marxist” policies.
“Tonight’s debate made one thing crystal clear: Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, a terrorist sympathizer and phony physician, is the face of the far-left takeover of the Democrat Party,” said Greg Manz, Michigan GOP senior communications adviser. “He embraces a radical, Marxist agenda that includes Medicare for All, abolishing ICE, and calls to irresponsibly defund the police.”
“Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed is completely out of step with Michigan’s working families,” Manz added. “This year’s election is a choice between crazy and common sense, and Michiganders deserve leadership that puts public safety, economic opportunity, and hardworking taxpayers first.”
Ahead of the debate, Republican National Committee spokesman Hunter Lovell called the primary “a head-on collision between an antisemitic radical socialist and a terrified Democrat establishment.”
EL-SAYED HITS ‘BOUGHT OFF’ STEVENS IN DEBATE AS SHE SAYS HE’S ‘PROPPED UP’ BY GOP
By Wednesday morning, el Sayed posted a poll showing 82% of respondents believed he won the primary debate. Stevens was left with 18%, per the WOOD-TV survey.
The Michigan Democratic Senate primary is set for Aug. 4. Whoever wins will go on to face Rogers, the presumptive Republican nominee, in the general election.