On a notable Monday, Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic contender for the Michigan Senate seat, stood firm on a controversial comment he had made about Senator John Fetterman from Pennsylvania during their last debate before the upcoming primary election.
Throughout his campaign against Representative Haley Stevens of Michigan, El-Sayed has been vocal about his strong opposition to Israel. During the debate, a past Zoom meeting remark was highlighted: El-Sayed had labeled Fetterman, a committed advocate of Israel, as an “ogre” whom he figuratively wished to see “on a pike.”
Moderating the discussion, Roop Raj from Fox 2 News, Detroit, noted, “That statement seemed to rattle many and brought up a significant issue regarding the tone you’ve been criticized for in this race.”
Raj then posed a direct question, “Do you have any regrets about the comments you’ve made?” offering El-Sayed an opportunity to retract his previous harsh words.
El-Sayed, a former health official, instead of backtracking, reinforced his critique of the Pennsylvania senator, showing no signs of backing down from his stance.
“I was referring to a guy named John Fetterman, who’s a senator from Pennsylvania who has done terrible things,” El-Sayed said.
“He got elected on a set of values and is now completely throwing those values in the mud,” the Senate hopeful continued.
“And I do think it’s important for any senator in Michigan to have a relationship with folks who are in the US Senate, and if those folks are not actually acting in accordance with what they got elected on, I think it’s important for all of us to have an honest opinion about what we’re going to do to make sure that our Senate looks like the people it represents.”
During the Zoom call with Democratic donors, audio of which was obtained by Politico, El-Sayed argued that Fetterman should face a primary challenge in 2028 and, if successful, it would serve as a warning to Democrats who don’t tow the party line.
“Primarying people like John Fetterman, I have no problem to do that,” he said on the call. “Ideally you put one ogre on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message, and all of a sudden starts to sound a lot different.”
Fetterman, who is 6 feet 8 inches tall and has often been mocked over his physical appearance, responded by telling the outlet: “I pick being Senator Shrek over being the Pontiac Platner any day.”
Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary election will be held on August 4.