Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is facing sharp criticism after refusing to denounce a controversial advertisement that ties U.S. military aid to Israel to rising grocery prices. The ad, produced by an outside group founded by commentator Cenk Uygur, features a fictional couple in a supermarket saying they must save money on groceries to pay "for killing Palestinians."
Washington Examiner economics columnist Tiana Lowe Doescher slammed El-Sayed's refusal during an appearance on Fox News at Night on Saturday. "If you look at that ad, not only is it also antisemitic, it's also economically illiterate," Doescher said.
The controversy comes as El-Sayed, a former health official and progressive activist, faces pressure from his defeated primary rival, Congresswoman Haley Stevens, to apologize for criticism of U.S. military aid to Israel. According to The Guardian, Stevens demanded that El-Sayed take down a tongue-in-cheek ad produced by his campaign and condemn the Uygur-affiliated spot. El-Sayed rejected the demand on Friday evening, stating that his campaign is focused on "skyrocketing gas prices, unaffordable groceries, and the inability to see a doctor."
"That focus is why our people-powered campaign defeated a historic $70M in outside spending from big corporations and AIPAC on behalf of Congresswoman Stevens," El-Sayed said in a statement reported by The Guardian. "Now the stakes are even higher—defeating Trump's hand-picked candidate, taking back the Senate, and defending our democracy."
The ad in question was not originally produced for El-Sayed's campaign. According to The Guardian, it was repurposed from a spot created in 2024 for Uygur's own short-lived presidential campaign. Despite that history, Stevens has continued to press El-Sayed to explicitly denounce the ad and what she called its antisemitic content.
Stevens, whose fiancé campaigned this week for El-Sayed's Republican opponent, former congressman Mike Rogers, at a Republican Jewish Coalition event, has called El-Sayed's criticism of Israel "100% disqualifying to be a United States senator." Her demand for an apology and a denunciation of the ad has become a flashpoint in the Michigan Senate race, which is expected to be one of the most competitive in the country.
El-Sayed's refusal to condemn the ad has drawn scrutiny from both Republicans and moderate Democrats, who argue that the spot traffics in antisemitic tropes by suggesting that American Jews or Israel are responsible for domestic economic pain. The ad's claim that U.S. aid to Israel is driving up grocery prices is also factually dubious, as Doescher noted.
The El-Sayed campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the candidate would denounce the ad. The Uygur-founded group that produced the original spot has not commented publicly on its repurposing.
The Michigan Senate race has drawn national attention as a bellwether for the 2026 midterms, with Republicans hoping to flip the seat held by retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters. El-Sayed's progressive stance on Israel has energized his base but alienated moderate and Jewish voters, while Rogers has sought to consolidate support among Republicans and independents.
President Trump has endorsed Rogers and is expected to campaign in Michigan in the final stretch before Election Day. The White House has not commented on the ad controversy.
Our Take
Abdul El-Sayed's refusal to denounce an ad that explicitly blames Israel for American grocery bills is not just a political misstep—it's a window into the radical ideology that has taken over the Democratic Party. This is a candidate who wants to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate, yet he won't disavow a spot that peddles antisemitic tropes and economic nonsense.
The ad's premise is absurd on its face: U.S. aid to Israel is a tiny fraction of the federal budget and has no measurable impact on the price of eggs or milk. But facts don't matter to the progressive left, which has made Israel a scapegoat for every domestic ill. El-Sayed's silence shows he is willing to cater to the most extreme elements of his party.
Michiganders deserve a senator who will stand with our allies and understand basic economics—not one who equivocates while antisemitic smears circulate in his name. On November 3, voters will have a clear choice: Mike Rogers, a proven conservative leader, or Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate who can't bring himself to condemn hate.
