Abdul El-Sayed is facing fresh backlash over his stance on Israel after the Democratic Senate nominee clashed with Republican rival Mike Rogers during a heated debate — with some Jewish Democrats questioning whether they can support him, and experts saying his words could come back to haunt him.
El-Sayed sparked controversy Thursday night when he said he does not consider Israel an ally if the country draws the US into wars it does not need to fight, sidestepping a direct comparison between Israel and Iran.
“He, himself, has created this predicament and he now comes off as confused and inauthentic,” Jeff McCall, a professor at DePauw University, told The Post.
He said that this debate shows that El-Sayed is “failing the rhetorical challenge.”
“I don’t consider an ally a country that takes us to wars we don’t need to fight,” El-Sayed said during the debate in Grand Rapids, Michigan, hosted by NewsNation and Nexstar’s WOOD-TV.
The exchange came as Rogers grilled El-Sayed over his lack of statement marking the third anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel.
El-Sayed insisted he had condemned the attack, but accused Rogers of turning other people’s pain into “political theater.”
The comments have reignited questions about El-Sayed’s relationship with Jewish Democrats, some of whom have expressed reservations about backing the progressive candidate because of his views on Israel.
The Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus has not formally endorsed El-Sayed, despite supporting other candidates in federal elections.
The Post reached out to the group for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
The debate drew further scrutiny after El-Sayed dismissed questions about his handling of the Oct. 7 anniversary following the event.
A political science professor at Oakland University, David Dulio, told The Post that Thursday’s debate was so important because El-Sayed is “arguably more to the left” than other progressives — like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) — on foreign policy.
Dulio said the big moment of the debate was when El-Sayed was asked which country posed the greater threat to the US: Israel or Iran — which the Democratic candidate wouldn’t answer.
“Many Jewish Democrats in Michigan have been skeptical of El-Sayed and have expressed uncertainty about his candidacy,” Dulio said. “They were likely listening for a question like this to help them make up their minds.”
When it comes to whether Jewish Democrats will be the deciding factor of the race, Dulio said his response could cause a “wobble” in the El-Sayed campaign — despite it humming along since the primaries.
“These positions could come back to haunt him,” Dulio said. “‘Dems for Rogers’ is real but we don’t know how big it is. I imagine this is something that’s exceedingly difficult to poll. Rogers will look to grow this group and I imagine Rogers’ campaign will have those debate clips in an ad very soon.”
One Democratic insider told The Post that outreach to Jewish Democrats is “an area of continued focus” for El-Sayed’s campaign.
“There will still be Jewish Michiganders who don’t vote for him, but I think he’s reaching those who are open to voting for him,” the source said.
Former GOP Rep. Peter Meijer, an Iraq war veteran, criticized El-Sayed’s response when asked which country posed the greater danger to the US: Israel or Iran.
El-Sayed called the question “dumb” and a “ridiculous hypothetical.”
Meijer agreed that the question was poorly framed but argued that El-Sayed could have given a straightforward answer about the two countries’ relationship with the US.
“He criticized Mike Rogers for asking him to condemn Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, saying they’re scary words, but he hasn’t condemned them,” Meijer said on CNN.
Meijer added that El-Sayed’s response raised questions about whether his approach was political strategy, or reflected a deeper reluctance to address the issue.
“At a certain point, it goes from either this is political malpractice at best, or he [El-Sayed] can’t, or he won’t because of something deeper — and that’s far more troubling. And I just don’t get it because I don’t want to get it because it really is dark,” he added.
The controversy follows weeks of public disagreement among Jewish Democrats over whether El-Sayed’s positions on Israel should disqualify him from their support.
In an Oct. 6 MS NOW interview, one lifelong Democratic voter said her decision hinged on Israel.
“I just would love for him to make a definitive statement, like just saying ‘I would like everyone to know I support Israel,’” she said.
An Oct. 7th Republican Jewish Coalition ad featured lifelong Jewish Democrats in Michigan who said they “will never vote for Abdul El-Sayed.”
“I will never forgive El-Sayed for excusing the terrorists who caused this terrible incident,” one voter said.
Another criticized his response in the immediate aftermath of a Michigan synagogue attack, recalling his comment that “hurt people, hurt people.”
“And he is giving permission for another person to do it again,” the voter said.
El-Sayed was also pressed by reporters Friday about whether he was still mourning the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He declined to discuss the subject, telling reporters he was “not interested in talking about this” and urged them to ask about health care instead.
At the beginning of El-Sayed’s Senate bid, he campaigned more heavily on foreign affairs.
McCall said that given El-Sayed’s prior statements, it would seem “unlikely” for him to modify his rhetoric “enough to ease the minds of supporters of Israel.”
During Thursday’s debate, El-Sayed reiterated that he does not want US tax dollars funding weapons for foreign countries, including Israel. He also said he would not support being drawn into a war with Iran.
Rogers, meanwhile, defended Israel’s right to exist and protect itself, arguing that the US should stand by the Jewish state.
