Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, said Saturday that he did not want Representative Haley Stevens, his former primary rival, to join him at a party unity event in Detroit on Sunday. The request escalates an extraordinary feud on the eve of the midterms.
“I don’t want any distractions,” Dr. El-Sayed told reporters after a campaign rally in Sterling Heights, Mich. He added, “It seems as though other folks are more interested in making this race about things that it’s not about.”
Ms. Stevens and Dr. El-Sayed had been publicly quarreling for days about Israel. They were initially expected to attend the Sunday event together, part of an effort by Representatives Debbie Dingell of Michigan and James E. Clyburn of South Carolina to broker peace between the two Democrats. Ms. Stevens lost to Dr. El-Sayed by less than a percentage point in a bitter August primary. It was unclear whether she would honor his request to stay away. Mr. Clyburn said he had “no idea” if she would attend, and an adviser, Antjuan Seawright, said she was still invited: “This is not Abdul’s event.”
The episode illustrated the party’s internal divisions over U.S. policy on Israel. Dr. El-Sayed, a progressive, is a fierce critic of Israel and has accused it of carrying out a genocide in Gaza. Ms. Stevens, a moderate, is a strong supporter of Israel. Polls show Dr. El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers locked in a tight Senate race that could help determine control of the chamber.
The two had appeared together at a unity breakfast after the primary, and Ms. Stevens quickly endorsed him. But they have not been seen together in the final stretch of the campaign, and Democrats across the country are anxiously watching whether the bickering could sink his chances.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing