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El-Sayed's Campaign Tells Stevens to Stay Away Before Election

Updated 9:18 PM ET · 12:38 PM ETConfirmed

Politics Desk

In Short: Democratic rivals Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens are clashing just days before the midterm elections, with El-Sayed's campaign telling Stevens to stay away from his events.

According to CBS News, El-Sayed's campaign has said it has no affiliation with an outside ad that Stevens criticized, which linked US military aid to Israel with rising grocery prices.

Stevens called on El-Sayed to condemn the ad, which she characterized as antisemitic, and to apologize for previous remarks she said linked US support for Israel to Michigan's affordability challenges.

Stevens also urged El-Sayed to remove a campaign ad featuring conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, saying it could make Michigan's Black community uncomfortable.

El-Sayed's campaign told Stevens to stay away from his campaign events through the November 3 election so “as not to distract from the central issues of the campaign,” according to a person familiar with the matter.

Stevens' fiancé, Jason Turkish, revealed that he would vote for El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, former Rep Mike Rogers, because of El-Sayed's remarks against Israel.

Stevens said she accepted the invitation to appear alongside El-Sayed from Clyburn, not from El-Sayed’s campaign, and she will appear alongside El-Sayed for the first time in months to show Democratic unity.

El-Sayed defeated Stevens in a Democratic primary race to become the party's Senate candidate and is now set to face a GOP contender, Mike Rogers, in an intense Senate battle.

The joint appearance comes after Stevens’ fiancé, Jason Turkish, revealed that he would vote for El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, former Rep Mike Rogers, because of El-Sayed's remarks against Israel.

Stevens criticized the ad for “fearmongering” and told a media outlet that a lot of Michigan voters were “hurt” and “confused.”

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• Obama taped two dozen ads last week for Democratic candidates for governor and Senate that will be released in the coming days and weeks, in addition to more campaign stops soon to be announced.
• Some ads that supported Stevens showed Obama praising her, and she outperformed El-Sayed in Wayne County, winning about 51% of the Democratic primary vote compared with 45% for El-Sayed.
• Haley Stevens in an August primary and has since worked to consolidate Democratic support in his race against Republican Mike Rogers.
• Former President Barack Obama will campaign alongside Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Detroit later this month, lending his support to the progressive nominee after a bruising Democratic primary exposed divisions within the party.
• El-Sayed defeated Stevens by less than a percentage point in a primary that became a national test of the Democratic Party’s ideological direction.
• He appeared earlier this year in a campaign ad with Iowa Senate candidate Josh Turek and campaigned in Texas with Senate candidate James Talarico and the candidate for governor, Gina Hinojosa.
• Kamala Harris, the first black and South Asian person to serve as vice president, campaigned with El-Sayed last month.

What's still developing

• CBS News' latest poll shows nearly 60% of Hispanics backing Talarico.
• Closing out his multi-state campaign swing, Cruz urged conservative, independent, and libertarian voters to get to the polls immediately to avert a Democratic legislative sweep.
• According to her campaign, the spot contrasts Hinojosa's proposals to protect public schools, restrict data center expansion and lower taxes with what she argues is three-term Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's prioritization of wealthy donors and large corporations.
• "We knew that this was going to be a close race, and that's exactly what we've got," Stevens said.
• After a bruising and sometimes bitter campaign, left-wing insurgent Abdul El-Sayed is slightly ahead of the establishment-backed congresswoman, Haley Stevens, with more than 90% of the votes counted.
• In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson for Stevens' campaign said the congresswoman would "fight for all Michiganders from every zip code to lower costs, protect manufacturing jobs, and take on Donald Trump's corruption and abuses of power".
• The high-stakes midterm elections are less than a week away, and candidates are making their final pitches to voters.
• The Times report said it relied on 12 sources, text messages and documents that allegedly showed members of Peltola's campaign, lawyers for Peltola, and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) pushing to find a spoiler candidate who could potentially siphon votes from Sen. Sullivan and benefit Peltola.
• "The media freakout over President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality," White House Communications Director Steven Cheung wrote in a statement on X in response to the backlash.
• Rapper Nicki Minaj praised President Donald Trump during a flight aboard Air Force One on Sunday, as the pair traveled to Michigan for a rally ahead of the November midterm elections.
• Democratic candidate for US Senate Abdul El-Sayed speaks to attendees at the Carpenters & Millwrights Labor Center during a campaign stop in Warren, Michigan, US, October 3, 2026.
• Stevens was backed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

Sources

• MEAWW Newslink
• Washingtonexaminerlink
• BBClink
• Hotnewhiphoplink
• Arabnewslink
• Abcnewslink
• Nbclosangeleslink
• Justthenewslink
• Nypostlink
• PBSlink
• Bozemandailychroniclelink
• WarpBeat — background on El-Sayed's Campaign Tells Stevens to Stay Away Before Election link
• WarpBeat — background on El-Sayed’s campaign test: Can he win over Black and Jewish voters? link
• MS NOW — video link