Turkish Opposes El-Sayed Due to Antisemitism Concerns

Jason Turkish, the fiancé of Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., has publicly stated he will not support Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Turkish believes El-Sayed holds antisemitic views.

Despite Turkish’s stance, Rep. Stevens continues to back El-Sayed for the Senate. Turkish, a Jewish registered Democrat, shared his decision to support Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers with The Detroit News. He participated in a Rogers event hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition in Birmingham, Michigan.

I waited, and I watched and I listened for Abdul to moderate – but he didn’t moderate, he escalated,

said Turkish, a Michigan lawyer. He commented during an event, noting El-Sayed’s increasingly divisive rhetoric.

El-Sayed, who defeated Stevens in a recent primary, has been criticized by some within Stevens’ circle. Turkish feels El-Sayed’s comments about Israel contribute to unsafe conditions for Jewish communities. He expressed concern about El-Sayed’s use of terms like ‘genocide’ regarding the conflict in Gaza, which Turkish views as inciting dangerous sentiments against Jews.

El-Sayed has a history of criticizing Israel, labeling actions in Gaza as ‘genocide’. Israeli officials counter that their military actions target terrorists using civilian shields, with efforts made to minimize casualties.

Turkish criticized El-Sayed’s association with streamer Hasan Piker and expressed disdain for El-Sayed’s refusal to distance himself from Piker.

Turkish described his decision to support Rogers as prioritizing national interest over party loyalty. Stevens’ former campaign chair, David Kramer, also plans to vote for Rogers. Meanwhile, Stevens endorsed El-Sayed after the primary but has not publicly campaigned alongside him.