Abdul El‑Sayed warned Monday in the final debate with Rep. Haley Stevens that a vote for her in next week’s primary is a vote for the same corporations, billionaires and special‑interest groups that he says have left the working class suffering.
He stressed that he doesn’t take money from those groups, before pointing to the close to $30 million from AIPAC and its affiliated groups poured into Ms. Stevens’ bid — money he said comes with strings attached.
“They’ve set a record in this race to help elect my opponent because they know that she’ll be a reliable vote,” Mr. El-Sayed said, citing her recent vote against blocking military aid to Israel.
Mr. El-Sayed called the vote support for “a foreign government that is aiding, arming, and abetting the very people who want to foreclose on the possibility of Palestinian self‑determination.”
“I want your tax dollars spent in Michigan to provide schools in Michigan, to build healthcare in Michigan, to build roads in Michigan, and I think that money sent over there to kill kids and women is the worst use of our tax dollars,” he said.
Asked whether voters should be concerned about AIPAC funding, Ms. Stevens said, “Absolutely not.”
“I am beholden to the people of Michigan, the people who I hear from when I am in the grocery store line, people who’ve broken down in tears, asking me how we can address this affordability crisis,” she said.
The exchange underscores a widening foreign‑policy divide inside the Democratic Party.
On Israel, Ms. Stevens said she wants to see long-term peace and backs a “two-state solution.”
“I am deeply proud to represent one of the largest Jewish populations in a congressional district in the country,” she said. “This is a community that I have grieved alongside, that I’ve mourned alongside, and have fought to bring the hostages home, and I’m still working to get us to long‑term peace.”
Ms. Stevens, meanwhile, agreed there is too much money in politics, including money spent on behalf of Mr. El-Sayed, but said the more pressing concern is beating likely Republican nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers, in the general election.
“This is about putting Michigan first, and I’ve got the receipts to do that, which is why Gov. Whitmer and so many others are joining my campaign to win in November,” she said.
The Aug. 4 primary between Mr. El-Sayed, the former Detroit city and Wayne County health director, and Ms. Stevens, a four‑term House member representing the 11th District, is one of the last major primary clashes between the party’s liberal and traditional-liberal wings.
Mr. El‑Sayed is serving as the latest test case for the Democratic Party’s growing far‑left flank — and doing so in a battleground state.
The result will help set the table for 2028, when Rep. Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez, or someone with a similar ideological profile, will argue that an insurgent, anti‑establishment message can win over voters in purple areas.
Ms. Ocasio‑Cortez is backing his bid, along with Sens. Bernard Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
Ms. Stevens, 43, has the support of Ms. Whitmer, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer of New York, and Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, whom she is running to replace.
Polls show the race is tight.
The nation’s deepening schism over support for Israel — particularly among Democrats and independent voters — has loomed over the contest.
Michigan’s status as home to the nation’s largest Arab American population adds another layer of intrigue to how the politics will play out.
Mr. El‑Sayed, who is Muslim and the son of Egyptian immigrants, has called Israel a “rogue state,” accused its government of carrying out “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza, and called for halting U.S. assistance.
Ms. Stevens has described herself as a “proud pro‑Israel Democrat.”
On immigration, Ms. Stevens said she wants to redirect ICE funding to local law enforcement.
Mr. El‑Sayed countered that she has also voted four times to raise ICE funding.
“I said that we need to abolish ICE,” Mr. El‑Sayed said, arguing the border can still be secure and immigration law enforced. “ICE is about normalizing paramilitary force on our streets.”
Mr. El‑Sayed said he would push to eliminate the legislative filibuster to boost the chances that Congress can pass Medicare for All.
Ms. Stevens emphasized her winning record at the ballot box, and said Mr. El‑Sayed is more interested in being a celebrity — and running for president in the future — than doing the job.
“We need somebody who is committed to six years of hard, unglamorous work,” she said. Ms. Stevens stressed she was the only “non-millionaire” in the race.
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