After days of rift, Haley Stevens praises El-Sayed for rejecting 'vile' anti-Israel ad
WASHINGTON, DC: A Democratic civil war almost reached a boiling point when two Dem leaders and former party primary opponents publicly locked horns just days before the midterms.
But things now appear to be improving as Representative Haley Stevens praised US Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed for denouncing an allegedly controversial ad.
Haley Stevens praises Abdul El-Sayed for denouncing ad
Stevens commended El-Sayed for denouncing an outside group’s controversial ad about US aid to Israel.
“Michigan is at its best when we stand up for each other: Jewish families, Black congregations, Arab American neighbors, all of us,” Stevens said in a statement on Saturday night, October 31.
She also said that she was glad to see El-Sayed reject the contents of the ad and urged voters to “go vote.”
“I was glad to see our Senate nominee say he does not agree with the content of the vile Rebellion PAC ad, which claimed Israel and Jews were to blame for the high costs of groceries,” Stevens said.
She said elected leaders have a responsibility to stand up when people try to divide communities, adding that this is what voters deserve from their elected officials.
What was in the ad that Abdul El-Sayed denounced
In the digital ad, a woman is grocery shopping and appears to blame Israel for high food prices. El-Sayed’s campaign previously said that it was not responsible for the messaging presented in the ad.
The rebuke from El-Sayed came after days of pressure from Stevens, who called on him to condemn the ad and accused its makers of stoking fear among Michigan voters.
Speaking to reporters at a campaign stop in Sterling Heights earlier on Saturday, El-Sayed said his team had no involvement in the ad, adding: “I do not agree with the contents of that ad.”
The ad had reignited the rift between the two Democrats, who waged a sometimes contentious primary election battle, particularly over Israel.
El-Sayed's campaign asks Stevens to stay away from his rally events
According to several reports, El-Sayed’s campaign asked Stevens to stay away from the Senate candidate’s remaining rallies in the days before Tuesday’s midterm elections.
The announcement came after Stevens demanded that the Democratic nominee apologize for comments he made during the campaign about Israel and its impact on Michigan’s public services.
“I just really don’t think any of this matters,” El-Sayed told reporters on Saturday, arguing that voters are more concerned with the cost of living than the dispute between the two Democrats.
"Most people are worried right now about who is going to bring down their prices. Most people are worried about whether or not they're going to be able to afford their rent next month," he added.
