Trump, White House target Abdul El-Sayed as ‘threat’ in Michigan Senate race

Democratic US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed drew intense attacks from the Trump administration over the weekend
El-Sayed’s general election matchup with former GOP congressman Mike Rogers is among the most closely watched in the nation
El-Sayed appeared unfazed: ‘We always knew they were going to go here’

Since Abdul El-Sayed clinched Michigan’s Democratic US Senate nomination last week, President Donald Trump and his allies have sought to paint him as, among other things, a “Radical Left Socialist,” “Communist Loser” and “direct threat to America.”

That latest attack came directly from the White House, which on Sunday used an official social media account to warn that El-Sayed’s policy positions and calls to abolish the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency threaten “the very values that define our nation.”

The president’s involvement in the race between El-Sayed and former GOP congressman Mike Rogers underscores its national importance. And El-Sayed has responded on the national stage.

“We always knew they were going to go here,” he said in a Sunday interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” noting Trump and allies are using his full name to attack him, as they did with former President Barack Obama.

“They’re going to try and paint me as a certain thing given my name, but…America is a lot bigger than very small people like Donald Trump or JD Vance or Mike Rogers want to make it out to be,” he continued.

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The Michigan contest, considered one of the country’s few true tossups, could determine which party controls the chamber next year. Democrats believe there’s a path to winning the majority given Trump’s unpopularity, but Republicans view the Michigan seat as a top pickup opportunity that could solidify their current hold on the Senate majority.

El-Sayed, a progressive favorite who has championed “money out of politics, money in your pocket, Medicare for All” on the campaign trail, eked out a win last week in a primary race that nearly split the Democratic vote down the middle. He’s faced questions about his electability in a swing state where independent voters often decide general elections.

The swift general election attacks by Trump and his allies are not surprising given Republicans had been “salivating” at the prospect of running against El-Sayed, Jessica Taylor of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report recently told Bridge Michigan.

Though the race is expected to be competitive through the Nov. 3 election, El-Sayed’s progressive views and his association with controversial figures like Twitch streamer Hasan Piker leave fertile ground for attacks, she said.

“El-Sayed gives them some weaknesses to exploit that (Haley) Stevens did not have, just where he is on the ideological spectrum of trying to win independent voters,” Taylor said.

Asked to comment on this story, El-Sayed’s campaign referred to his weekend TV interviews. In his Meet the Press interview, El-Sayed sought to undercut criticism of his policy platform, arguing it is not “radical” to want affordable groceries and health care.

He pointed to high turnout among Democrats, arguing that beyond any internal divisions, “what we agree on is that Donald Trump has been an existential threat to our democracy.”

GOP appeals, attacks

Rogers, too, has argued El-Sayed is too extreme for Michigan and after last week’s primary made a direct appeal to moderate Democrats upset by the outcome, saying they “have a home with us.”

The response from national Republicans has been less cordial.

Trump has said El-Sayed is “full of shit” and hates Jewish people, a claim the Democrat has denied. In a social media post, the president shared a photo of himself and First Lady Melania Trump alongside a photo of El-Sayed and his wife with the caption “Two VERY DIFFERENT America’s.”

Mike Rogers on a stage. Trump supporters are behind him. — Republican US Senate candidate Mike Rogers joined President Donald Trump on stage Monday at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford (Ella Miller/Bridge Michigan)

Vice President JD Vance has argued El-Sayed “doesn’t have a constituency among the working class.”

El-Sayed has not backed down, calling Vance “Peter Thiel’s boy” in an MS Now interview and arguing that Vance’s prior criticisms of Trump before agreeing to be his running mate “was the last time he made sense.”

Responding in a Saturday interview on Fox News, Vance called El-Sayed an “odd guy,” criticizing his proposals to tax the wealthy and arguing his policies would hurt Michigan’s middle class.

“I think the guy is crazy and would be a terrible senator for the people of Michigan,” Vance said. “We’re going to make that case and obviously the people of Michigan are going to make their vote.”

Taylor, of the Cook Political Report, said a major crossover of moderate Democrats for Rogers is unlikely, but noted El-Sayed’s biggest task will be to ensure those voters turn out to support him in November.

National Democrats, too, will need to challenge Republicans head-on if they want to keep the seat blue, she said.

Michigan is where Democrats are “most vulnerable from a defensive standpoint,” Taylor said. “Democrats, I think, will look at this strategically and realize they have to fortify this race if they want any hope of getting a majority.”