Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Jewish Democrat, has voiced concern over Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, telling The Atlantic’s David Frum that she believes some of his comments risk rationalizing terrorism and contributing to an environment in which Jews feel increasingly unwelcome within the Democratic Party.
Nessel's concerns intensified following an attempted terrorist attack in March of this year targeting a synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan, her hometown. After the incident, El-Sayed connected the attack to the conflict in Lebanon and remarked, “Hurt people hurt people."
“A lot of us perceived that as sort of making excuses for someone that sought to murder over 100 pre-K schoolchildren and that’s the kind of mentality that bothers me a lot," Nessel told Frum.
Although El-Sayed has met with Jewish community leaders, Nessel said he has not retracted the remarks, leaving her worried that “it has me concerned that he really stands by them."
“I don’t think we should ever be making those kinds of excuses and in a way propping up people who seek to commit these crimes," Nessel stated. “It possibly encourages other people to do the same. They want to be a hero too."
Nessel said she has discussed the matter directly with El-Sayed and hopes he will eventually withdraw his comments. At the same time, she accused him of displaying “a real dearth of historical knowledge, political knowledge and religious knowledge" regarding Jews and Israel.
The attorney general also described a difficult choice facing Jewish Democrats as El-Sayed prepares to face Republican Mike Rogers in November in a race that could help determine control of the Senate.
“We absolutely don’t want Mike Rogers to win. We absolutely want a Democratic majority in the Senate," she says. “But is Abdul going to spend six years railing against Israel irrespective of who the government is there?"
According to Nessel, some Democrats have effectively divided Jewish Americans into “good Jews" who oppose Zionism and “bad Jews" who maintain a connection to Israel. She said she also considers the Republican Party unwelcoming to Jews and does not intend to vote for Rogers.
“We have been an essential part of the fabric of the Democratic Party for a very, very long time. I would ask the leadership and members of this party to consider that before they do or say things that will force us to leave," Nessel says. “I was Jewish before I was ever a member of the Democratic Party, and if I have to, I’ll be Jewish afterwards too."
El-Sayed won the Democratic Senate nomination after narrowly defeating Rep. Haley Stevens, a moderate Democrat who supports Israel. His views on Israel have become a source of controversy among some Jewish voters in Michigan, which also has a sizable Arab and Muslim population.
In a recent MS NOW interview, El-Sayed described Israel's military actions in Gaza as "bloodthirsty" and accused Israeli leaders of genocide. In another interview, speaking with Jim Acosta, he acknowledged that Hamas had committed war crimes while continuing to accuse the Israeli government of genocide.
El-Sayed has also opposed unconditional US military assistance to Israel and repeatedly declined to directly answer whether Israel has a right to exist. During one interview, he described Israel's leadership as "as evil as Hamas."
President Donald Trump sharply criticized El-Sayed following his primary victory, portraying him as hostile toward Jews and Israel.
“When I watch Abdul, he’s full of s--t," Trump said, calling El-Sayed a “man of hate".
“He's a communist. And the polls were wrong again last night when they thought it would be a landslide victory for a hater of Jews and a hater of Israel," Trump declared.
Trump continued, “This guy hates Jews. Somebody said, ‘Oh, that's a little strong’. No, he hates Jews and he hates Israel…He's a man of hate. And now he's going around saying, ‘No, I love everybody.’ He doesn't love everybody. Put him in office. You're going to find out what he loves."
Trump further asserted that El-Sayed “doesn't love Israel. He doesn't love Jewish people. He hates them. He hates them with a passion that burns in his heart."
Trump has predicted that Rogers, whom he called a "great candidate", will defeat El-Sayed in the November election.
“Actually, we do better against the communists, according to every poll. The poll says we do better against the communists. So he won. And so I think I'm happy. I put out a statement: Congratulations to the Republican Party."