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<\/a><\/p>\nU.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks in Detroit as part of a ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ campaign, May 3, 2026. (Jim West\/UCG\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
For many of the state\u2019s other estimated 129,000 Jews, the choice is less difficult. While analysts are torn on what McMorrow\u2019s exit from the race will mean for each candidate, Jewish Democratic leaders \u2014 and some clergy \u2014 in the state are coalescing around Stevens. <\/p>\n
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is Jewish and a close ally of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, endorsed Stevens following McMorrow\u2019s announcement. \u201cHaley cares deeply about the needs of her constituents,\u201d Nessel wrote in her announcement. <\/p>\n
The Michigan Jewish Democratic Caucus had already endorsed Stevens, as well \u2014 but it had been close between her and McMorrow, the group\u2019s chair told JTA. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Jews that I know, my sense is that if they were supporting Mallory, they\u2019re going to support Haley at this point,\u201d Jessica \u201cDecky\u201d Alexander, the caucus\u2019s chair, told JTA. <\/p>\n
While Alexander added that she could \u201cstill see myself supporting\u201d El-Sayed if he wins the nomination, some Jewish clergy in the state have sounded loud alarms about his candidacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many Michigan Jews, the Democratic primary race for senator feels like an existential moment,\u201d Rabbi Aaron Starr, of the historic Conservative Congregation Shaarey Zedek in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, told JTA. \u201cWe pray that our neighbors and fellow Michigan residents will vote to reject extremism and the kind of rhetoric that leads to violence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with his fellow Shaarey Zedek clergy, Starr authored a letter to congregants in June urging them to support \u201cthe candidate whose record, actions, and rhetoric demonstrate the strongest commitment to protecting Jewish lives by combating antisemitism, seeking federal security funding for American Jewish communities, and supporting Israel\u2019s security and right to exist as a Jewish state.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cAs a clergy team, we agreed that we cannot remain silent if our voice might encourage people to prioritize protecting Jewish lives,\u201d Starr told JTA.<\/p>\n
The letter, which invoked the Book of Esther, did not name Stevens or any other candidates. But to JTA, Starr called Stevens \u201can ongoing friend of the Jewish community\u201d who \u201cpersonally reached out to me after October 7,\u201d referring to the 2023 Hamas-led massacres in Israel that launched the Gaza war. El-Sayed \u2014 whom Starr said he has \u201cheard nothing from\u201d \u2014 has publicly expressed doubt that Israel should be a Jewish state. <\/p>\n
Now that the race had narrowed, Starr said, \u201cWe are hoping that it is now even more likely that the November election will see two candidates who recognize Israel\u2019s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state, who support Israel\u2019s right to defend itself when under threat, and who will be committed to protecting American Jews in Michigan and around the U.S.\u201d The likely GOP nominee is Mike Rogers, a former congressman known for his pro-Israel outlook.<\/p>\n
While El-Sayed often welcomes the Jewish community at his rallies, his comments on local radical behavior affecting Jews have also caused controversy. He angered Jewish leaders, including a rabbi at Temple Israel, when he issued a statement about the attack at that congregation that mentioned Israel\u2019s war in Lebanon. <\/p>\n
In recent weeks El-Sayed also suggested that a group of pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Michigan, recently arrested by federal authorities and accused of plotting attacks against university officials, were politically targeted. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a lot more about what you\u2019re advocating for that gets you indicted or not indicted, rather than what you did,\u201d El-Sayed told a rally of supporters about the indictments last month, according to the Detroit News. One of the arrested protesters had briefly worked for El-Sayed\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n
His campaign has amplified the voices of Jewish supporters, including former U.S. Rep. Andy Levin, who lost his reelection bid in a redrawn district to Stevens in 2022 after AIPAC backed Stevens. <\/p>\n
El-Sayed\u2019s campaign has also launched a Jews For Abdul affinity group. The group\u2019s mission statement says the candidate \u201ccorrectly recognizes that the Israeli government does not speak for all Jewish people, or even for all Jewish citizens of Israel,\u201d and \u201chas properly characterized Israel\u2019s US-enabled genocide in Gaza to be among the most immoral events of our time.\u201d <\/p>\n
An El-Sayed campaign spokesperson did not respond to a JTA inquiry about how big the group is. Alexander, the state\u2019s Jewish Democratic Caucus chair, said she believed it was \u201ca very small faction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nationally, the Jewish Democratic Council of America, which had endorsed both McMorrow and Stevens, reaffirmed its commitment to Stevens on Monday. Meanwhile, J Street, the liberal pro-Israel lobby, had backed McMorrow. In a statement Monday to JTA, the group did not endorse a new candidate.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are grateful to her for the campaign she ran and the nuance she infused into this race,\u201d Tali deGroot, vice president of political and digital strategy, told JTA. \u201cWe hope the next Senator from Michigan will be an advocate for peace and diplomacy in the Middle East and will recognize the need for a new U.S. policy toward Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
A new super PAC formed to counter AIPAC\u2019s influence signalled in a statement on Sunday that it was prepared to get more directly involved in the race on El-Sayed\u2019s behalf. American Priorities PAC told reporters it was \u201cfully committed to seeing Abdul El-Sayed become the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, and we will do what it takes to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Representatives for El-Sayed and American Priorities PAC did not respond to questions from JTA about whether the candidate, who has said he would reject all PAC funding, would accept American Priorities\u2019 financial support.<\/p>\n
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