El-Sayed's campaign tells Haley Stevens to stay away days before their planned joint appearance
LANSING, MICHIGAN: With only a few days to the midterm elections, the feud between Democratic rivals Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens has boiled over as El-Sayed’s campaign reportedly told Stevens to stay away from his campaign.
The development comes amid reports that Rep Haley Stevens (D-Mich) on Sunday, November 1, will appear alongside El-Sayed for the first time in months to show Democratic unity.
Notably, El-Sayed defeated Stevens in a Democratic primary race to become the party's Senate candidate and is now set to face a GOP contender, Mike Rogers, in an intense Senate battle.
Abdul El-Sayed tells primary opponent to stay away as a Dem civil war boils over
The spat reignited after Haley Stevens demanded an apology from El-Sayed for his comment on Israel.
In a midterm advertisement run by an outside progressive group Rebellion PAC, a woman is grocery shopping and appears to blame Israel for high prices.
Stevens criticized the ad for “fearmongering” and told a media outlet that a lot of Michigan voters were “hurt” and “confused.” She also called on El-Sayed to denounce the ad.
El-Sayed’s campaign previously said it was not responsible for the ad.
The development was first reported by Politico, and other outlets later confirmed it.
The clash comes just days before Election Day, and a day before their proposed campaign together on Sunday.
El-Sayed issued his own statement Friday claiming that Stevens “seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago,” and instead should focus on beating former GOP Rep Mike Rogers (R-Mich), whom he called “Trump’s hand-picked candidate.”
Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens expected to appear together on Sunday
While the latest development has cast doubt on their proposed appearance together, Stevens confirmed on Friday in a statement posted to X that she would join Rep James Clyburn (D-SC) and El-Sayed at a church service in Detroit this Sunday.
On the eve of the eve of the eve of our BIG and important election, a unifying moment has arrived, our democratic nominee for U.S Senate disavows the Rebellion PAC ad made by Hasan Piker’s uncle that claims Jews are responsible for America’s economic woes. We have learned from party leaders and emissaries, as reported in the news media that he has. On Sunday I will join with the Great Democratic leader, Jim Clyburn and Dr El Sayed for a church service in the beautiful city of Detroit. The political coalition of Black and Jewish voices that have carried Michigan and this country through so many storms to the righteous path of liberal democracy and equal opportunity for all will ring out. Full statement here:
— Haley Stevens (@HaleyforMI) October 30, 2026
“I say this with no race to run and nothing to gain,” Stevens said. “The Jewish and African American communities of my district deserve to see their leaders show up for them rather than fight over them.”
Stevens said she accepted the invitation to appear alongside El-Sayed from Clyburn, not from El-Sayed’s campaign.
The joint appearance comes after Stevens’ fiancé, Jason Turkish, revealed that he would vote for El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, former Rep Mike Rogers, because of El-Sayed's remarks against Israel.
"I've just seen an escalation in his rhetoric since the primary, and it makes folks unsafe. Every time he talks about g******e (in Gaza), Jews get death threats," Turkish told The Detroit News about El-Sayed.
"We have never seen a candidate for US Senate act so recklessly toward the safety of Jews in the community as we have seen from Abdul," he added.
