El-Sayed’s Israel Stance Jeopardizes Michigan Senate Seat as Rogers Leads 51%-47%
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 18
El-Sayed’s Israel Stance Jeopardizes Michigan Senate Seat as Rogers Leads 51%-47%
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 18
Summary
Three Michigan Democratic donors are hosting a fundraiser for Republican Mike Rogers after Abdul El-Sayed’s primary win, underscoring a backlash over his criticism of Israel and handling of antisemitism concerns.
Chuck Schumer, who backed Haley Stevens in the primary, has endorsed El-Sayed for November but acknowledged sharp disagreements on Israel while insisting Democrats can still hold the seat.
Michigan is central to Democrats’ Senate math: if El-Sayed loses a state Trump carried by less than 2 points in 2024, Democrats would likely need to flip a fifth Republican seat in deep-red territory.
A Fox News poll taken after the primary showed Rogers ahead 51%-47%; Jewish voters are only 1.4% of Michigan’s electorate, but Slotkin won statewide in 2024 by less than 0.4 points.
The dispute leaves Schumer balancing his warnings about antisemitism against his big-tent message, while Republicans argue a Michigan flip would make a Democratic Senate majority nearly impossible.