- Michigan Democratic US Senate hopefuls took questions from the party’s Black, Faith, Jewish and Senior caucuses
- All three candidates called for peace in the Middle East but offered differing opinions on support for Israel
- Despite differences, Haley Stevens, Abdul El-Sayed and Mallory McMorrow each said they’d support the primary winner
Efforts to facilitate peace in the Middle East should extend to calling out antisemitism and Islamophobia at home, Michigan Democratic US Senate candidates told party activists Monday during an online forum.
Days after sharing a debate stage on Mackinac Island, US Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former public health official Abdul El-Sayed took questions from members of the Michigan Democratic Party’s Black Caucus, Faith Caucus, Jewish Caucus and Senior Caucus.
Asked what role, if any, the United States should play in facilitating a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, all three candidates stressed the need for peace in the region, but McMorrow and El-Sayed both warned increasing domestic tensions and hateful acts towards Jewish and Muslim residents also need to be addressed.
“We must be able to separate healthy criticism of the actions of a government from increasing anger at Jews around the world, especially here at home,” McMorrow said. “We have to call out antisemitism and hatred when we see it.”
El-Sayed, a vocal supporter of ending offensive military aid to the Israeli government, was the only candidate who did not directly endorse a two-state solution. Instead, he said he supports empowering Israelis and Palestinians to “come together on equal footing to decide what the peace looks like” themselves, arguing ongoing financial support to Israel is “one of the biggest obstacles to that.”
“What I’m hoping (for) is the kind of leadership where we all come together to focus on the rising tide of antisemitism and Islamophobia here at home, and where we stop sending foreign aid to foreign militaries,” he said.
Stevens called herself a “very passionate Zionist” who supports “dignity for all peoples and states.” Stevens said she supports continuing humanitarian aid to Gaza and also called for a speedy end to the Iran war, which she argued exacerbated the situation.
The candidates’ views on Israel have played a central role in the Democratic primary. Stevens, in particular, has taken flak for financial support she’s received during her congressional career from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The Detroit News recently reported that 31% of Stevens’ donors who gave more than $200 this cycle have also donated to the pro-Israel group, more commonly known as AIPAC.
Stevens has demurred when asked about AIPAC support, though her opponents have criticized the association.
Michigan’s Senate race is considered one of the only true toss-ups in the country this year, and one that could help shape majority control in Washington. Republican Mike Rogers is running unopposed in his party’s primary. Most recent polls have shown the Democratic candidates statistically tied or close to it, with more than a third of primary voters still undecided.
The three candidates assured viewers that despite their differences, they would support the eventual winner of the Democratic primary, who will go on to face likely GOP nominee Mike Rogers in the general election.
“We are a big tent party, and sometimes that can be really complicated,” McMorrow said. “My promise right off the bat is no matter what happens on Aug. 4, we will all come together on Aug. 5 to defeat Mike Rogers.”
The candidates found plenty to agree on in the Monday forum, from backing federal voting rights protections to supporting economic empowerment for Black residents.
Reflecting on his own experience growing up as a person of color in Detroit, El-Sayed said he’d fight hard to target systems of racial inequality.
“When it comes to the kind of policies that we need to pass, I’m not going to tell you what we can’t do,” he said. “I’m not going to tell you we can’t have reparations, I’m not going to tell you that we cannot fight racism and call it out as such.”
All three candidates also said they support eliminating the payroll tax cap on Social Security benefits to help make the program solvent.
Stevens, who said she will soon campaign with former Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O’Malley, added that Congress has to “claw back what the Trump people have done with cutting and firing people out of Social Security.”
“We have got to get those people rehired,” she said. “I’ve got the Day One bill to do it.”
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