Vance attacks Muslim Democrat in Senate race
Washington: US Vice President JD Vance and senior Republican leaders launched a fierce attack on Muslim Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed at a campaign rally in Michigan, accusing him of sympathising with extremist organisations, questioning his patriotism and portraying his candidacy as a threat to American values.
The attacks came during a rally in Monroe, Michigan, where Vance campaigned for Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
Rogers, a former FBI agent and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, accused El-Sayed of concealing alleged connections to the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“He is the most extreme, dangerous candidate to ever run for the United States Senate in the history of our country and we have to stop him right here in Michigan,” Rogers told supporters.
He alleged that El-Sayed had misrepresented his family’s associations with the Muslim Brotherhood and questioned his past involvement with Muslim student organisations.
The Republican candidate also referred to a letter El-Sayed allegedly signed in 2012 concerning political developments in Egypt.
Vance subsequently intensified the criticism, accusing El-Sayed of placing foreign political causes ahead of the interests of Michigan residents.
“He is obsessed with the state of Israel and with Gaza he’s ten times more interested in what’s happening in Palestine than in Port Huron,” Vance said.
The Vice President argued that the Democratic candidate’s positions on the Middle East reflected misplaced political priorities.
He also accused El-Sayed of making statements hostile to American history and identity, portraying the election as a contest between patriotism and what he described as radical left-wing politics.
Vance questioned El-Sayed’s account of his personal background, alleging that the Michigan-born candidate had previously described himself as an immigrant from North Africa and claimed Egyptian citizenship.
The Vice President also referred to an attack on a Jewish institution in Michigan, alleging that El-Sayed had responded in a manner that showed greater sympathy for the perpetrator than for the victims.
Vance cited remarks he attributed to El-Sayed but did not provide their full original context during the rally.
The Republican criticism extended beyond the two Senate candidates.
Congresswoman Lisa McClain, chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, accused El-Sayed of embracing communist ideology and attacked his positions on immigration, public spending and healthcare.
Throughout the rally, Republican speakers repeatedly portrayed El-Sayed as ideologically extreme and sought to connect his candidacy with broader Democratic positions on immigration, policing and government spending.
Vance argued that Michigan’s Senate contest would test whether voters were prepared to accept candidates associated with the party’s progressive wing.
The attacks also reflected the importance Republicans have attached to Michigan in their efforts to retain congressional control in the November elections.
Michigan is a politically competitive state that has played an important role in recent presidential and congressional elections. Its electorate includes significant Arab-American and Muslim-American communities, particularly in the Detroit metropolitan area, where US policy towards the Middle East has become an important political issue.
El-Sayed, a physician and former public health official, has been associated with progressive Democratic politics. Rogers previously represented Michigan in the US House of Representatives and chaired its Intelligence Committee. Their Senate contest is among the races attracting national political attention ahead of the November 3 elections.