Michigan Senator El-Sayed Wins Only Half of Jewish Vote Amid Backlash
Michigan's new Muslim senator, Abdul El-Sayed, captured only half of the state's Jewish vote, trailing far behind fellow Democrats amid concerns over his anti-Israel stances. US President Donald Trump expressed bewilderment at the voting patterns.
Abdul El-Sayed secured the Michigan Senate seat and became the state's first Muslim senator, but a poll shows he captured only half of the Jewish vote, trailing significantly behind fellow Democrats.
According to the survey by the Jewish Majority organization, Republican candidate Mike Rogers won 43% of the Jewish vote, while 4% left their Senate ballots blank and 3% voted for a third party.
In Oakland County, home to the state's largest Jewish community, Rogers defeated El-Sayed with 52% to 39%. Democratic Representative Haley Stevens withdrew her endorsement of El-Sayed late in the race and backed Rogers instead. El-Sayed performed strongest among Jewish voters in the progressive university towns of Ann Arbor and East Lansing.
Contrast with Other Democrats
El-Sayed lagged substantially behind Governor-elect Jocelyn Benson, who won 69% of the Jewish vote—a 19-percentage-point lead over El-Sayed. While El-Sayed trailed Benson by only two percentage points among the general electorate, Jewish voters showed deep hesitation.
Nearly all anti-El-Sayed Jewish Democrats said they would have likely voted for another Democrat. Among them, 87% cited antisemitism as a concern, 84% pointed to his remarks following a synagogue terror attack in Michigan earlier this year, 83% expressed concern over his positions on Israel, and 82% noted his treatment of the local Jewish community.
Trump Reacts to Voting Patterns
US President Donald Trump expressed astonishment that Jewish voters in Michigan cast ballots for El-Sayed over Rogers despite El-Sayed's controversial rhetoric regarding Israel and the Jewish community.
In an interview with Salem News Channel, Trump remarked: "If you look at El-Sayed in Michigan, he got far more votes from Jews than the Republican candidate. It is simply incomprehensible."
During his campaign rallies, Trump had sharply criticized Jewish voters considering El-Sayed. "Any Jewish person that votes for this guy should be ashamed of themselves," Trump declared at the time.
