Abdul El-Sayed Apologizes to Jewish Democrats Over Temple Israel Remarks as Michigan Senate Race Tightens
Updated
Updated · CNN · Aug 29
Abdul El-Sayed Apologizes to Jewish Democrats Over Temple Israel Remarks as Michigan Senate Race Tightens
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Aug 29
Summary
At a Lansing party convention, Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed explicitly apologized for his “hurt people hurt people” remarks after the March Temple Israel attack, saying “it wasn’t the time for context.”
The outreach is part of a weekend push to win over skeptical Jewish Democrats after his hard-fought primary win, with another meeting planned at the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus’s private Summer Simcha event.
El-Sayed also softened his convention message, citing more than $60 million spent against him without naming AIPAC, and drew one of the day’s loudest cheers from several hundred delegates.
He still refused to center concerns about Hasan Piker, the Twitch streamer who campaigned with him, calling focus on “a single streamer in California” unserious even as some Democrats, including Rep. Hillary Scholten, object.
The balancing act matters beyond party unity: El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers in a race crucial to Senate control, with Democrats needing a net gain of four seats to flip the chamber.