A Jewish Democratic activist has explained why she is declining to support the party’s candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, in Michigan’s closely contested Senate race, declaring: “I don’t believe in voting blue no matter who.”
Mimi Price-Miletic, a member of the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus, has refused to endorse el-Sayed, citing concerns including his past appearances alongside controversial left-wing streamer Hasan Piker.
Piker has become a controversial figure in US politics due to his self-professed Marxist views, his praise of the Chinese Communist Party and his views on Israel, including his defence of Yemen’s Houthi militia.
Former president Barack Obama campaigned alongside el-Sayed in Detroit on Saturday, urging voters to support him despite disagreements over his politics.
But Price-Miletic has not ruled out voting for Republican Mike Rogers, El-Sayed’s opponent, although she has not committed to doing so.
Speaking about a disagreement with another Jewish Democratic activist who supports el-Sayed, Price-Miletic told the Associated Press: “Lori Goldman is my best friend. This summer I said we cannot discuss Abdul. I don’t want to hear his name. We’ve agreed to disagree and we don’t talk about it.”
“She adores him,” she added. “And I feel the exact opposite of her.”
She has also expressed unease about the wider debate surrounding the candidate’s position on Israel and the way his campaign has addressed concerns within the Jewish community.
Goldman, however, believes Republicans are exploiting those concerns to turn Jewish voters against the Democratic nominee.
“They’re preying upon the fears that are engendered in every Jewish person because past is prologue,” she said, arguing that the attacks on el-Sayed risk deepening divisions between Jewish and Muslim communities.
El-Sayed, a doctor and former public health official, won the Democratic nomination after a primary against Congresswoman Haley Stevens, whose campaign received substantial financial support from groups affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac).
El-Sayed has described Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” and has called for an end to US military assistance to Israel.
Along with his links to Piker, el-Sayed has faced criticism over his response to an attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, in March.
After condemning the incident, he posted a video saying “hurt people hurt people,” in an apparent reference to the fact that members of the alleged attacker’s family had been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon. He subsequently apologised, saying he had made a mistake in making the remark.
Republicans have sought to use these controversies to persuade Jewish voters that el-Sayed’s positions could threaten their community’s security.
Goldman told the Associated Press that Republican messaging was feeding those anxieties. “It’s spreading and it’s not spreading slowly,” she said. “It’s spreading insidiously and widely and effectively.”
Obama’s appearance in Detroit on Saturday marked a potentially significant intervention in the campaign, as Democrats seek to consolidate support behind el-Sayed and prevent Republicans from winning the Senate seat.
Addressing thousands of supporters, the former president defended the candidate against attacks focused on his Muslim faith and political views, drawing parallels with the false claims about his own background that dogged his presidential campaigns.
“We have seen this movie before. I starred in it,” Obama said, arguing that political opponents were using fear and division to undermine candidates challenging the established political order.
He also urged voters to look beyond their disagreements with el-Sayed and consider the wider implications of the election, presenting the Democratic ticket as a means of holding President Donald Trump’s administration accountable.
The rally came as Trump himself prepared to campaign for Rogers in Michigan. The Republican president has repeatedly attacked el-Sayed over his Muslim faith, calling him a “jihadist” making claims about his loyalty and alleged extremist connections.
The allegations stem from el-Sayed’s mother's alleged support for the Muslim Brotherhood when she was in college, well before parts of it were proscribed as terrorist groups by the US earlier this year, and her work for an Islamic charity before it was designated as terrorist in 2004.
El-Sayed has insisted he has “no ties” to the Muslim Brotherhood and had limited contact with his mother while he was young, being raised instead by his stepmother. There is no suggestion he was directly involved in either group
If elected, el-Sayed would become the first Muslim senator in US history.
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