El-Sayed apologizes over synagogue attack remarks in Michigan race
Why it matters: The dispute adds to Democratic tensions over antisemitism as the party tries to unify behind a key Senate nominee.
Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed apologized for remarks he made after a March attack on a suburban Detroit synagogue, telling Jewish Democrats over the weekend that his response may have been misconstrued and was hurtful. El-Sayed said he condemned the attack outright, but acknowledged that offering context in the immediate aftermath was the wrong moment. The controversy has become a flashpoint in Michigan’s open Senate race against Republican Mike Rogers and in wider Democratic disputes over antisemitism. El-Sayed also declined to repudiate comments by streamer Hasan Piker, a supporter of his campaign, while appearing at the state party’s convention in Lansing after a divisive primary.