El-Sayed, Stevens Clash in Michigan Senate Debate Over Corporate Donors, Israel

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Congresswoman Haley Stevens on Tuesday clashed in their first one-on-one debate for the Democratic nomination for this year’s U.S. Senate race in Michigan. They sparred over corporate power, Israel, and the future of the Democratic Party. The Michigan Senate race is one of the few races this year where Republicans believe they can flip a seat to red from blue. A deep divide between the Democratic Party’s moderate and progressive wings, on top of polling leads and potential fundraising advantages for the GOP nominee, have Republicans confident even before the August primary date. Dr. El-Sayed and Ms. Stevens have been going after each other for months, with the former arguing that the congresswoman is a stooge for her corporate donors and the latter saying that her opponent has no chance to win. State senator Mallory McMorrow’s decision to suspend her campaign this week has both candidates vying to lock up a sizable chunk of Ms. McMorrow’s supporters, who accounted for about ten to 15 percent of the primary electorate. “We … don’t need politicians bought off by corporations,” Dr. El-Sayed early in the debate. Based on current polling aggregates, he leads Ms. Stevens by anywhere from three to ten points, though no public poll has been conducted since Ms. McMorrow suspended her campaign on Sunday.During the course of the debate, Dr. El-Sayed again and again referenced the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s support for Ms. Stevens. He blamed Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu for the war with Iran, arguing that too many American politicians are beholden to pro-Israel lobbying groups.“The reason that we’ve seen this war fought is the influence of AIPAC in our politics,” he said. “Ask yourself why it is that we are paying five dollar gas, why we can’t seem to get out of this quagmire. It’s because, for too long, our foreign policy has been handed to us by the likes of the state of Israel and AIPAC.”Ms. Stevens, who is backed by Senator Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, argued in response that she is in no way beholden to Israeli interests. She pointed to criticism that Mr. Netanyahu levied against her on CNN on Tuesday as evidence that she is an independent leader. “It is very clear that Mr. Netanyahu has not made us safer, has not brought us closer to peace, and he’s endangered Jews here in America and around the world. This is why he was just trashing me today on CNN,” Ms. Stevens said. “I continue to stand up for humanitarian aid, for the U.S. to work with the countries in the region and get aid into Gaza.”Hours before Ms. Stevens made that argument, Mr. Netanyahu said in a live interview with CNN that Ms. Stevens was trying to “excuse antisemitism” by criticizing Israel. Ms. Stevens doubled down on her electability argument, saying that Republicans are dying to run against Dr. El-Sayed, who has never held elected office, is endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and supports Medicare for All and the abolition of ICE. The presumptive Republican nominee, Congressman Mike Rogers, who represented Michigan in the House for more than a decade, narrowly lost the 2024 Senate race in Michigan. According to polling, he currently leads both Ms. Stevens and Dr. El-Sayed in the general election. “No one is afraid of you,” Ms. Stevens said to her opponent on Tuesday. “In fact, the GOP is spending thousands of dollars to prop up your campaign because they think they will make it easier for Mike Rogers to win if you are the nominee.”With moderates lined up behind Ms. Stevens and progressives lined up behind Dr. El-Sayed, national Democrats clearly view this primary election as a bellwether for the future of the Democratic Party. Asked about that analysis at the debate on Tuesday, Ms. Stevens said her only focus is the people of Michigan.“For me, this has always been about Michigan,” Ms. Stevens said Tuesday, arguing that she was the only person prepared to effectively fight for the state. Dr. El-Sayed offered a similar answer, saying his campaign was for the people of Michigan. He said, however, that politics needs to fundamentally change.“If we continue to allow corporations to buy our politicians, do not be surprised when everything gets more expensive and your job gets further out of reach. That is the politics that is corrupting now, and we need [something] different,” Dr. El-Sayed argued.

El-Sayed, Stevens Clash in Michigan Senate Debate Over Corporate Donors, Israel

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