The views of a Michigan Senate candidate campaigning alongside a Hamas-sympathizing podcaster left many wondering where the “pushback” was after he essentially equated “Jews with terrorists.”
Even before the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel, many had seen Congress as having an allegiance problem with the likes of Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar (D) and Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib (R). As the race in Michigan to fill the Senate seat of a retiring incumbent remains close, candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed raised eyebrows anew as he lumped Israel with Hamas as “evil.”
“We can say both.”
The comments came amid reporting on the race to fill retiring Michigan Sen. Gary Peters (D) seat as CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju asked El-Sayed, “You said the Israeli government is evil, do you think they’re just as evil as Hamas?”
“Yes, killing tens of thousands of people makes you pretty damn evil. It’s not how evil is this one versus that one — Hamas, evil; Israeli government, evil. We can say both,” argued the former Wayne County Health Director who’d previously campaigned and lost to now Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) in the 2018 election.
New — Dive into tense #MIsen D primary and what Stevens, McMorrow, El-Sayed told me about Israel, ICE, Piker, Schumer — and electability
El-Sayed said on electability being “the least offensive” candidate: “If that were true, why would Donald Trump have won the presidency twice?” pic.twitter.com/CX20HwRiTz— Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 19, 2026
When asked if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a “war criminal,” El-Sayed contended, “Absolutely. Do you not think he is? When you conduct a genocide, you’re a war criminal.”
He also raised the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) — the popular lobbying boogeyman to Hamas sympathizers — over funding for primary rival Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens (D) as he told Raju, “You should be more interested in what’s happening in Michigan than you are interested in what’s happening in Tel Aviv.”
Further controversy has surrounded El-Sayed’s decision to campaign alongside leftist podcaster Hasan Piker, who recently went on the record contending “I do mean it,” when he argued the terrorist group Hamas is a “thousand times better” than Israel. Piker also said in the past, “America deserved 9/11.”
In response to pushback over those comments, El-Sayed told Raju, “My understanding of America is it’s a place where we have freedom of speech. My understanding of America is it’s a place where we’re willing to have conversations with folks with whom we disagree.”
Likewise, as Dearborn, Michigan, has proven a hotbed of Hamas sympathy while Mayor Abdullah Hammoud (D) has countered concerns about Islamism with allegations of Islamophobia, audio obtained by the Washington Free Beacon in March featured El-Sayed opting out of making a statement about the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini because “a lot of people in Dearborn are sad.”
HOLY CRAP
Audio obtained by @FreeBeacon shows Michigan Democrat Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed warning not to make a statement about Khameini’s death because “a lot of people in Dearborn are sad”
MASS DENATURALIZATIONS AND DEPORTATIONS pic.twitter.com/AR9YqhPUw2
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 30, 2026
Recent polls put the son of Egyptian immigrants within the margin of error against Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D), while Stevens remains behind by about 5%, still more than three months out from the August primary.
Reactions not only called out the candidate, but Raju as well, for seemingly taking the statements at face value.
Zero pushback by cnn propagandist @mkraju as a democrat senate candidate equates jews with terrorists.
— Resist The Devil/Come To Christ/This is his world (@PoliticsNPrison) April 19, 2026
You failed as a journalist to push back on this absurd narrative by a potential government official. Very disappointing from you Manu.
— Joshua Miller (@EJoshuaMiller) April 19, 2026
An obvious follow-up question is if he thinks the U.S. is as evil as the Nazis or Imperial Japan were. After all, we killed a lot of people in that war.
— Kathryn Paisner (@KathrynPaisner) April 19, 2026
Oh, so what he’s saying is that the U.S. is as evil as the Nazis and Imperial Japan were?
He sounds like the kind of person who thinks we deserved 9/11.
Why does the Democratic Party let people like this run on their ticket?
— Kathryn Paisner (@KathrynPaisner) April 19, 2026
Is this what the Democrat party thinks represents the American voter? Do they really support this rabid jew-hating Hamashole?
— Lemmy Caution (@Bibliomanical) April 19, 2026
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