I was raised in East Lansing, Michigan (Go Green) and went to school at the University of Michigan (Go Blue). The state of Michigan is firmly divided, as epitomized by its split loyalty to two Big Ten schools and also by its politics. Despite having a Democratic governor and senators, Michigan is a purple state that Donald Trump won in 2024 and 2016. Jewish voters now find themselves standing on the abyss of that political divide.
This week’s Democratic Senate primary, decided by less than one percent of the vote, demonstrated that Michigan’s political divisions run deep, including among Democrats. In Tuesday’s primary, older and Black voters favored Rep. Haley Stevens, while younger and white voters favored Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. While there are no exact numbers on the Jewish vote in the primary, we believe that a majority of Michigan’s Jewish voters favored Stevens, based in part on the nearly 100,000 calls JDCA volunteers made on her behalf.
With El-Sayed’s razor-thin win over Stevens, Jewish voters in Michigan now stand on a political fault line, with some lifelong Democrats anecdotally indicating they will “jump” to the GOP and support Republican Mike Rogers in the general election. Others say they will not vote for the Senate in November, and some will support El-Sayed.
While El-Sayed has refused to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and repeatedly espoused sharp critiques of AIPAC and Israel, which he called “bloodthirsty” earlier this week, the issue top of mind for most Jewish voters isn’t just Israel. It’s also rising antisemitism, which concerns 90% of Jewish Americans and is the number one “dealbreaker” issue for Jewish voters, according to a May poll.
Jewish voters aren’t a monolith and have a range of views about the current Israeli government, and some may even agree with El-Sayed’s scathing critiques. At the same time, his virulently anti-Israel rhetoric and demonization of AIPAC can contribute to antisemitism in the United States. To view this election as solely about Israel is an oversimplification. Jewish voters’ concern with El-Sayed and other far-left candidates is rooted in concern for our safety and security given rising antisemitism and antisemitic violence, including when Jews are blamed for the actions of Israel, as we saw earlier this year at Temple Israel in Detroit.
Following the March attack on Temple Israel, I wrote about how El-Sayed and others must “stop rationalizing antisemitic violence,” which he did when he equivocated after the attack that could have killed more than 100 preschoolers. While he condemned the bomb-laden truck ramming of the synagogue, El-Sayed’s reflections on the Temple Israel attack included his assertion that “hurt people hurt people,” a reference to the perpetrator’s family being killed by Israel, given their alleged ties to Hezbollah.
Violence targeting Jews because of the actions of Israel is never justified, and anti-Israel sentiment manifesting in antisemitic violence – as we’ve seen in Detroit, D.C., Boulder, New York, and elsewhere in the past year – must be unequivocally condemned. Equivocation surrounding violence and terror, whether it be antisemitic attacks in the United States or Israel, such as October 7, is what is most concerning about far-left candidates like El-Sayed, as well as the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
While there are many provisions of the DSA Platform that mainstream Democrats and Jewish Americans find objectionable, the most egregious provision includes explicit support for the “right to resist [Israel’s] military occupation.” The fact that this line doesn’t stipulate “the right to peacefully resist” is reckless and irresponsible, and it has likely contributed to DSA candidates, such as Darializa Avila Chevalier, celebrating the aftermath of October 7, the worst massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust.
It is also similar to the language used by far-left streamer Hasan Piker – whom El-Sayed campaigned with in April – who said he didn’t “have an issue” with Hezbollah and that “America deserved 9/11.” Piker has expressed support for Hamas, denied the full horrors of October 7, and endorses “every type of armed resistance” against settlers and Israelis in the West Bank. Piker has fomented antisemitism by explicitly supporting antisemitic violence, and – as opposed to denouncing his position – El-Sayed chose to campaign with him. Piker was also present for El-Sayed’s victory party on Tuesday night, demonstrating their ongoing alignment, which must come to an end.
This week, Michigan’s Jewish Attorney General Dana Nessel announced she wasn’t attending the state’s upcoming Democratic nominating convention because of concerns about antisemitic harassment, similar to that experienced at the Michigan Democratic Party convention in April. As I told JTA, “She’s not alone. We’ve heard from other Jewish Democrats who attended the Democratic Party convention earlier this year in Michigan, and there was a sense of discomfort amid what felt like a pro-Palestinian protest [that] may have even blurred the line for some into antisemitic sentiment — and it’s really concerning.” Here too, there has been no clear condemnation by El-Sayed or any effort to stand with and defend Nessel and other Jewish Democrats, despite the fact that it was El-Sayed’s supporters who created a hostile environment in April. Acceptance or tolerance of antisemitism in Democratic spaces must also come to an end, and this requires clear action, not just words, on the part of El-Sayed.
El-Sayed has positioned himself as a change candidate, which contributed to his narrow primary win. That win alone, however, will not bring him over the finish line in November. Real change can’t come at the expense of Jewish Americans in the Democratic coalition, in Michigan or anywhere else. Real change would mean El-Sayed making clear that antisemitism and violence are never acceptable, condoned, or justified. Real change would require clearly denouncing Hasan Piker and others like him, including members of the DSA. And real change means making every effort to ensure that Jewish Michiganders are safe, secure, and welcome in all settings, including the upcoming state Democratic Party nominating convention.
The Jewish vote is a critical component of a winning Democratic coalition, including in Michigan, and it’s not something that can be taken for granted.
In the next 90 days, JDCA will focus on electing the more than 140 Democrats who share our values. This includes Michigan Democrats Jocelyn Benson, Jeremy Moss, and Reps. Hillary Scholten and Kristen McDonald Rivet, as well as others who can flip House and Senate seats from red to blue. We’re only supporting candidates who share the values of Jewish voters, and with their victories, we hope to secure congressional majorities that have the backs of Jewish Americans. We hope you’ll join us in this important work, and thank you for your partnership.
Shabbat Shalom,
Halie Soifer
CEO, Jewish Democratic Council of America
I am a 99 year old Jew who has seen it all. Michigan Jews should not let understandable fears about El- Sayed's views on Israel obscure the larger danger: a midterm election that strengthens Trumps authoritarian power. El-Sayed's stated goal -"equal rights to peace, dignity and self-determination" is a good beginning for the work he will be doing with the new Democratic majority as it works to establish a necessary new U.S. relationship with Israel. For Jews, as for all Americans, preserving our democracy is critical. Vote Democratic!
While I appreciate your stance and largely agree with the overall diagnosis of the problem, I question the forcefulness of the recommendations. First of all, why do you expect that El-Sayed and others like him will suddenly start "unequivocally condemning" violence against Jews? His antisemitism is a feature of his campaign, not a bug. It's part of the reason for his success (albeit a narrow one) in the primary.
As a liberal Democrat, I would never suddenly expect that a far-right MAGA candidate would suddenly start appealing to the moderate, pro-choice crowd and condemn the overturn of Roe v. Wade. I would never expect them to come out and condemn Trump for bragging about grabbing women by the p**sy. This is basically the same type of performance, but it's occurring on our own end of the aisle, and it's targeted towards us. We are seeing exactly who El-Sayed is, and he's not shy about it. He is an antisemite who condones terrorism, and no Jewish person should excuse such behavior from any candidate, let alone a Democrat.
I would really appreciate a more forceful recommendation about what Michigan Democrats (and other Democrats living in areas with candidates like him) should do in this situation. I wouldn't personally ever vote for a MAGA candidate like Rogers, and I am grateful right now to not live in Michigan and to not be in the position of having to make that choice. But, honestly, what's the alternative here? Demanding "condemnation" is hallow. It's action and choices that matter.