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Distancing, Not Condemning

El-Sayed Campaign Distances Itself From Antisemitic PAC Ad but Won't Condemn it

Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign said a Rebellion PAC ad blaming Israel for US grocery prices isn’t affiliated with it, but declined to condemn the ad’s message.

3 min read
El-Sayed Campaign Distances Itself From Antisemitic PAC Ad but Won't Condemn it
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Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed's campaign has distanced itself from an ad by Cenk Uygur's Rebellion PAC that blames US support for Israel for Americans' high grocery prices, but has stopped short of condemning its content.

"This ad is not affiliated in any way with the Abdul for Senate campaign," El-Sayed spokesperson Roxie Richner said in a statement. The campaign added in a statement Monday that "No one speaks for Abdul but himself and his campaign."

The campaign did not address what El-Sayed thinks of the ad's message and did not respond to a follow-up question from JTA about its content.

The ad shows a couple at a grocery store debating whether they can afford basic items like eggs and bananas, then blaming their struggles on US aid to Israel. Uygur promoted it on X on Friday, writing, "We have to suffer here at home, so Israel can get all its wars," and claiming Israel "buys" politicians like El-Sayed's Republican opponent, Mike Rogers. The spot repackages an ad from Uygur's failed 2024 presidential campaign, with a new ending backing El-Sayed. A Rebellion PAC spokesperson told JTA the group is spending $1,000 to run it online.

The ad drew condemnation across the political spectrum. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt called it a "case study in antisemitism." Rep. Haley Stevens, who narrowly lost the Democratic Senate primary to El-Sayed, called it "fearmongering" about Israel and said it does nothing to help Michigan Democrats. Former DNC chair Jamie Harrison called it counterproductive for El-Sayed.

Republicans and Rogers allies seized on the campaign's response. Democrats for Mike Rogers called it "absolutely pathetic," saying El-Sayed's failure to condemn the ad was disqualifying. The Republican Jewish Coalition also slammed the response, accusing El-Sayed of dodging the issue.

Uygur and Rebellion PAC have dismissed the criticism. Rebellion PAC spokesperson Kara Eastman told JTA that anyone who thinks the ad is antisemitic has "lost your mind," and Uygur said on X that critics are "in a cult."

Uygur is the uncle of anti-Israel streamer Hasan Piker, who campaigned with El-Sayed earlier this year before El-Sayed distanced himself from Piker's most notorious statements. El-Sayed has also faced sustained criticism from Jewish voters over his remarks after the March attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, for which he later apologized.

The race remains close ahead of the November 3 election, with El-Sayed holding a narrow lead in the polls.
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