Haley Stevens attacks Abdul El-Sayed as Michigan Senate debate turns on Israel and corporate cash

A bitter debate

The first one-on-one clash between Representative Haley Stevens and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed in Grand Rapids was combative from the opening remarks. Stevens, a moderate backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, pounded the lectern as she accused El-Sayed of caring more about his own publicity than about helping Michiganders. She noted that she was the only candidate on stage without a talent agent pitching her for paid speeches.

I am not trying to sell a book or a podcast. I'm only one on this stage who doesn't have a talent agent trying to pitch me for paid speeches. And unlike my opponent, I'm not running at the first mic or camera I see.

El-Sayed, a former public health official backed by Senator Bernie Sanders, framed Stevens as a cog in a system of corporate-backed politics. He took digs at corporate interests at least 31 times during the hourlong debate, arguing that her reliance on super PAC money made her little different from the Republican awaiting them in November, former Representative Mike Rogers.

Israel takes center stage

Divisions over Israel have defined the contentious primary, and the debate was no exception. El-Sayed, a staunch critic of Israel, used the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's heavy spending for Stevens as a cudgel. He suggested that both Stevens and Rogers would be reliable votes for Israel in the Senate.

If Congresswoman Stevens makes it, or Mike Rogers wins, either way, Israel will win. AIPAC is perfectly fine with either of my two opponents because they know that they will have a comfortable, reliable vote in the U.S. Senate.

Stevens, who has struggled to parry attacks over her support for Israel and weapons sales, seized on a recent exchange with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. After she said on CNN that Netanyahu had "made us less safe" and "put Jews in an uncomfortable position," Netanyahu accused her of trying to "excuse antisemitism." Stevens twice worked the dig into her debate answers, calling Netanyahu a bully and insisting she would continue to stand up for humanitarian aid to Gaza.

It is very clear that Mr. Netanyahu has not made us safer, has not brought us closer to peace. And he's endangered Jews here in America and around the world. This is why he was just trashing me today on CNN. I am not afraid of bullies.

El-Sayed dismissed the exchange as a political ploy to boost Stevens.

Voters' daily struggles

Away from the debate stage, Michigan voters are focused on healthcare, rent, social security checks, and the devastation in Gaza. In Macomb county, a blue-collar Detroit suburb, township trustee Shannon King, a Democrat still making up his mind, hears constant complaints about paychecks going backwards and the struggle to afford childcare.

You're going backwards in your paycheck. You're going backwards in your healthcare. You go to work every day. You might have a side hustle. Your significant other has a side hustle, too. And you're still struggling to do childcare.

Residents in battlegrounds like Lansing, Dearborn, and Grand Rapids are not following the daily beats of the primary. They want to know whether anyone in office will act before it is too late.

Money and the primary race

The primary, set for August, narrowed to a two-person contest after State Senator Mallory McMorrow suspended her campaign on Sunday. Spending has flooded the airwaves: at least five groups have poured more than $34 million into boosting Stevens, led by AIPAC's United Democracy Project super PAC, which alone has spent roughly $20 million. Public polls show El-Sayed pulling ahead, and the race is seen in Washington as a proxy war over the Democratic Party's direction after its 2024 defeat.