Republicans wasted little time moving to define Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul el Sayed as a far-left extremist Wednesday, with campaigns, party committees, super PACs, and allied organizations simultaneously launching television ads, statements, and messaging designed to portray him as representative of the Democratic Party’s shift to the left.
The coordinated effort is seeking to define el Sayed by tying him to some of the Left’s most polarizing figures and causes, from controversial internet personality Hasan Piker and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to the abolish ICE movement and the Democratic Socialists of America. Republicans have also begun emphasizing his full name, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, a tactic the nominee accused them of using to divide voters.
Michigan’s open Senate seat is one of the most high-profile races that will determine whether the GOP keeps control of the Senate or Democrats have even a sliver of a chance of flipping the upper chamber. Republican Mike Rogers is hoping to flip the seat red as Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) retires.
The speed and breadth of the response suggest Republicans had prepared for an el Sayed nomination and see an opportunity to turn the Michigan race into a referendum on the Democratic Party’s ascendant socialist wing.
Rogers released a lengthy statement on Wednesday declaring “the choice this November is simple: common sense or complete insanity” and posted an attack ad built around el Sayed’s previous comments. The ad opens with el Sayed standing beside Piker saying, “I’m not here to disavow people’s views.” It then cuts to clips of Piker saying “America deserved 9/11” before highlighting comments from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and members of the Squad.
“Abdul doesn’t represent a vision for the future,” Rogers wrote in his statement. “He’s leading a movement grounded in ideological fanaticism.”
Even before el Sayed was declared the winner of the Democratic primary on Wednesday, the GOP-aligned Senate Leadership Fund announced a six-figure ad buy calling the firebrand candidate “dangerously radical.” The ad includes statements from el Sayed over the years, including one of the candidates asking whether “police really need to use guns?”
“I’m dangerous. Under my leadership, our state will not expend a dime enforcing federal immigration policy,” el Sayed is heard saying in another part of the 30-second ad.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee also debuted its first attack ad on Wednesday, using the same “dangerous” remark while targeting his opposition to Israel and relationship with Piker.
Piker has become a centerpiece of the Republican effort to define el Sayed. The Democrat has campaigned alongside the left-wing streamer, who frequently refers to Jews and supporters of Israel as “Zionist pigs.” Republicans have paired those appearances with el Sayed’s own criticism of Israel, which they argue crosses into antisemitism.
On Wednesday, for example, el Sayed described Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “bloodthirsty.”
NRSC Chairman Tim Scott called el Sayed “the most radical Democrat Senate nominee ever. His support of terrorist organizations, socialist policies, and the defunding of law enforcement makes him dangerous and ultimately disqualified from serving” in a statement.
In the email announcing the new ad, the NRSC notably referred to el Sayed by his full name after previously calling him just Abdul el Sayed. In recent weeks, more GOP groups have begun using el Sayed’s full name, prompting criticism from el Sayed during his victory speech on Wednesday.
“If you can’t say the name — it’s Abdulrahman — keep the name out your damn mouth,” el Sayed said. “I’ll be happy to give you lessons. But they understand that the only way that they think they can win is to drag us into the mud, to believe the worst about each other, to believe that what divides us is bigger than what unites us.”
Regardless, GOP leaders are giddy about el Sayed’s primary win. Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told the Washington Examiner that el Sayed offered Rogers a strong contrast heading into the general election.
“Mike Rogers is a great candidate, very experienced, ran last time, learned a lot, and I think is running a terrific campaign,” Thune told the Washington Examiner. “And the Dems, they’ll have a challenge. It’s a year in which the political environment — an off-year election makes it somewhat challenging, but we have the right candidate at the right time in the right place, and I think a good issue set and some real contrast to draw with the Democrat opponent.”
Republicans are increasingly arguing that el Sayed is not simply another Democratic nominee, but a reflection of where the party itself is headed.
Americans for Prosperity Action, a conservative super PAC tied to the Koch network, released a memo on Wednesday contrasting el Sayed’s ties to the Democratic Socialists of America with a Republican economic agenda focused on lowering costs.
“El-Sayed is not an isolated phenomenon confined to a handful of deep-blue primaries,” wrote AFP Executive Director Nathan Nascimento. “He is the latest and most prominent example of a pattern building for years: a Democratic base pushed further left, cycle after cycle, until the Democratic Socialists of America’s platform — not a moderate alternative to it — is what energizes the people who actually show up to vote in a primary.”
The Republican messaging blitz is also backed by well-funded outside groups expected to spend heavily in competitive Senate races this fall.
MAGA Inc., a Trump-affiliated super PAC, ended June with more than $400 million on hand, according to the Federal Election Commission records. The group declined to discuss its plans in response to a Washington Examiner request for comment but released an attack email against el Sayed on Wednesday.
“Abdul El-Sayed’s vision for Michigan is one where killers and rapists are free to walk the streets,” the MAGA Inc. email states. “El-Sayed is unapologetic about his goal to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).”
Republicans are betting the barrage will define el Sayed before Democrats can reunify behind him after a divisive primary, while Democrats hope to avoid the intraparty fractures that have plagued them since Trump’s 2024 victory.
Republicans are betting the barrage will define el Sayed before Democrats can reunify behind him after a divisive primary against Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI). With control of Congress at stake, Democratic leaders are urging the party to rally behind nominees they may not fully agree with in hopes of avoiding further intraparty divisions.
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“We are taking on the most dangerous president in the history of the United States of America,” Sanders told reporters. “We’ve got to do everything we can to hold him accountable, and we need to elect Democrats all over this country.”
“I will work for other candidates around the country who I do not 100% agree with, but I think we’re going to bring people together in Michigan,” Sanders said.