El-Sayed Apologizes for March Synagogue Attack Remark as Michigan Democrats Court Jewish Voters in 2026 Race
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 29
El-Sayed Apologizes for March Synagogue Attack Remark as Michigan Democrats Court Jewish Voters in 2026 Race
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 29
Summary
At a Lansing party convention, Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed told the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus he "made a mistake" in his March response to the attack on Temple Israel near Detroit.
The apology centered on his use of the phrase "hurt people hurt people" after a man drove a truck into the synagogue and injured a guard; El-Sayed said he should have simply condemned the attack.
Authorities had described the West Bloomfield Township assault as a targeted act against Jews, and El-Sayed said his effort to add broader context in the immediate aftermath instead trampled on victims' pain.
The episode matters politically because El-Sayed is trying to win over Jewish Democrats who remain deeply skeptical of his candidacy in Michigan's 2026 Senate race.