Stevens, El-Sayed Clash at Final Michigan Senate Primary Debate, Accusing Each Other of Dirty Politics

Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed faced off at what quickly became a bitter debate on Monday as both seek to become the Democrats’ nominee for this year’s U.S. Senate race in Michigan. The moderate, pro-Israel congresswoman in backed by her state’s political establishment and is being buoyed by tens of millions of dollars in outside spending, while Dr. El-Sayed has won the support of national progressive leaders like Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Ms. Stevens and Dr. El-Sayed are — according to current polling — in a dead-heat for the nomination. The race has focused mostly on corporate power, Israel, the ability to fight President Trump, and what it takes to effectively represent Michigan on Capitol Hill. For both progressives and moderates alike, this race has become the marquee primary of the 2026 midterms. Just eight days before the primary election is set to be held, Ms. Stevens and Dr. El-Sayed spent an hour going after each other for their respective records. Ms. Stevens says Dr. El-Sayed — a successful author and former podcast host — is more interested in being a celebrity than he is in representing Michigan. Dr. El-Sayed, in turn, says Ms. Stevens is being bought off by corporate interests and pro-Israel groups. On Monday morning, Politico first reported that Dr. El-Sayed had recently made comments on a Zoom meeting about one of his potential colleagues — Senator John Fetterman. Dr. El-Sayed called Mr. Fetterman an “ogre” on the call, and promised to fight the party’s establishment if he is elected to the Senate. He said that if Democrats were able to “put one ogre on a pike,” “then everyone else gets the message.”Some believed at first that the “ogre” comment was being directed at Ms. Stevens, though Dr. El-Sayed was quick to clarify that he was talking about Pennsylvania’s senior senator, who is a staunchly pro-Israel lawmaker and longtime critic his party’s left flank. Mr. Fetterman has not closed the door to switching parties after the midterm elections. Many have made jokes about Ms. Stevens’ cadence and her occasional awkwardness on the stump — criticism she has embraced, saying that it is the product of people trying to seem “cool” as she focuses on results. Dr. El-Sayed at the debate on Monday was asked about those kinds of criticisms of his opponent. “I took to Twitter last week and said that the tone in which people talk about my opponent is unkind,” Dr. El-Sayed said at the debate. He went on to clarify again that the “ogre” remark was directed at Mr. Fetterman, arguing that the Pennsylvania senator “has done terrible things” and has abandoned the “set of values” on which he had been elected in 2022.Ms. Stevens and her supporters — including the outside spending groups which have dropped more than $60 million onto Michigan’s airwaves on her behalf — point to Dr. El-Sayed’s criticisms of female politicians as evidence that he has engaged in a similar kind of toxicity. Outside groups have pointed to a 2010 opinion piece in the Guardian penned by Dr. El-Sayed which referred to first lady Michelle Obama’s anti-childhood obesity initiative as “ineffectual.” The piece argues that Mrs. Obama focused too much on individual behaviors rather than larger structural problems. Ms. Stevens and her backers have also criticized Dr. El-Sayed for dismissing the opinions of Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Senator Debbie Stabenow, who represented Michigan in the Senate for 24 years. Both Ms. Whitmer and Ms. Stabenow are backing Ms. Stevens. “Michigan needs a workhorse and I am offering these ideas on day one,” Ms. Stevens said at the debate on Monday, highlighting the support from other Michigan lawmakers and national establishment Democrats like Speaker Nancy PelosiDr. El-Sayed’s message against Ms. Stevens relies mostly on the fact that she has won the support of countless corporate and special interest groups. During the course of the primary, more than $60 million has been spent on Ms. Stevens’ behalf by corporations, super PACs, and special interest groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. “I don’t take money from the corporations who are jacking up your prices in the first place,” Dr. El-Sayed said when asked about the issue of affordability. “When you’re bought off … don’t be surprised that there’s a ‘pro quo’ that comes with that ‘quid.’”On her support for Israel, Ms. Stevens argued that she has a mainstream view of what the American–Israel relationship should look like. “I believe in a two-state solution … The goal is always long-term peace,” Ms. Stevens said. “I don’t think there’s much difference between super PACs going in for Abdul or super PACs going in for me,” Ms. Stevens added. “I want your tax dollars spent in Michigan,” Dr. El-Sayed shot back. “I think that money sent over there to kill kids and women is the worst use of our tax dollars.”

Stevens, El-Sayed Clash at Final Michigan Senate Primary Debate, Accusing Each Other of Dirty Politics

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