Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan Abdul El-Sayed sharply criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) interference in the elections. El-Sayed stated that AIPAC plans to spend $3,847,990 against him, describing such donations as 'the worst form of legal bribery'.
Criticizing his opponent, Representative Haley Stevens, El-Sayed claimed she is 'more committed to the future of a foreign country than to keeping your tax dollars here for schools and healthcare.' Stevens, meanwhile, said in a debate that Israel has the right to exist in peace alongside the Palestinian and Gazan people.
Stevens, who is backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, criticized El-Sayed for questioning the U.S.-Israel alliance. In response, El-Sayed said, 'For too long, our foreign policy has been dictated to us by the state of Israel and AIPAC; they have made both Democrats and Republicans carry out their orders.'
The primary election in Michigan will be held on August 4, 2026. The state is home to a significant number of Jewish and Arab American voters, and the issue of Israel has become one of the main themes of the race.
El-Sayed's campaign did not respond to questions about whether his criticism of AIPAC also applies to other groups such as the pro-Palestinian PAL PAC and the Arab American PAC.
The candidate's financial situation also came under scrutiny. According to a report he filed in June 2025, El-Sayed, who earns a salary of $278,900 from Wayne County, has an estimated net worth between $580,000 and $1.7 million. His wife owns real estate assets in India worth up to $15,000. Responding to criticism that he has not yet released his tax returns, El-Sayed said, 'Taxes get complicated; my wife and her family have properties abroad, and gathering all those tax forms is a separate job.'
A video also surfaced in which El-Sayed previously asked, 'Do police really need to use guns?' but the candidate later argued that he does not want to cut the police budget.
