As Michigan’s open U.S. Senate race intensifies, some Jewish residents across the state say Democratic contender Abdul El-Sayed’s candidacy is amplifying concerns over antisemitism as tensions surrounding Israel continue to reverberate far beyond foreign policy.
Michigan, home to one of the nation’s largest Arab American populations, has become a major political battleground where Middle East politics are increasingly intersecting with local fears over neighborhood security and communal stability.
With a history spanning over 260 years, the state’s Jewish community feels under attack, especially since the March terrorist attack against Michigan’s largest synagogue in Bloomfield Hills.
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“I’m a lifelong Michigan resident, and when somebody runs for office in our state, it’s always been somebody who is not based on hate,” said Steve Cohen, a Michigan resident who spoke about El-Sayed’s campaign rhetoric. “Mr. El-Sayed not only is spewing hate, but he’s spewing it at political conventions and everywhere. With our history in Michigan, it’s shameful. He’s not a qualified candidate. It’s time for the Jewish community, and, for that matter every other community, to stand up and say no, and enough is enough,” he told Fox News Digital.
His and the concerns of others came back into the spotlight after Michigan’s recent Democratic State Convention, where several attendees described chaotic scenes tied to Israel-related issues.
Howard, another Michigander, who asked that his last name not be used, said El-Sayed supporters and activists “flooded the convention with voters” after registering as Democrats in the weeks leading up to the event.
“All you had to do was register within 30 days,” he said. “They shouted down people like Haley Stevens and others who had supported Israel. It was a circus. Anybody who had ever supported Israel was targeted. Many residents left frightened by what they saw.” Stevens is running against El-Sayed in the Democratic primary.
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Howard added that many Michigan residents now fear what this signals politically.
“Mr. El-Sayed’s campaign appears centered on hostility toward Israel, and many Michigan residents are frightened about what that means for the future,” he said.
In response to concerns raised by some Michigan residents over antisemitism, community safety and criticism surrounding his campaign appearance alongside Hasan Piker, El-Sayed emphasized his personal understanding of religious prejudice.
“I understand what it’s like to be discriminated against for how I pray,” El-Sayed said. “This is why I will always stand against antisemitism and stand with my Jewish brothers and sisters and their right to practice their faith safely, freely, and unabashedly,” he told Fox News Digital.
Addressing criticism over his decision to campaign alongside Hasan Piker, he said, “Obviously, I don’t agree with some of the statements Hasan has made. But we play this game where we platform police and pretend that we’re not allowed to talk to certain groups of people because they said something we disagree with. That’s just not how the world works. And if we did that, we would be dividing ourselves, just like our politics is. I reject that game, and I go and talk to anyone, because I believe that there’s an opportunity to actually persuade them.”
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Jesse Arm, vice president at the Manhattan Institute and a pollster originally from Michigan, said the Michigan Senate battle is becoming a broader test for voters concerned about extremism, public safety and political direction.
“This race is becoming a proxy fight over whether Michigan Democrats remain a normal political party or continue drifting toward a faction that treats antisemitism and anti-American extremism as tolerable,” Arm said. “For many Michiganders, not just Jewish voters, the question of whether the people seeking power take their safety seriously is no longer abstract.”
Fox News Digital spoke with multiple Michigan residents and community members, though several declined to go on record publicly, citing fears of being targeted socially or professionally by extremists.
Their concerns emerge as antisemitic incidents continue to rise amid broader national fears. According to the American Jewish Committee’s 2025 State of Antisemitism in America report, 91% of American Jews surveyed said recent violent antisemitic attacks have increased their concerns about safety, reflecting broader fears echoed by Jewish communities in battleground states like Michigan.
Several Michigan residents described growing anxiety about whether increasingly aggressive anti-Israel activism could further inflame tensions in neighborhoods that have historically balanced diverse religious and ethnic communities.
While El-Sayed has positioned himself as a progressive voice on key issues, critics say his political rise reflects growing tensions within Democratic politics over Israel.
Earlier this month, Michigan Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow, who is running against El-Sayed, said her Jewish husband was allegedly accosted by a Michigan Democratic activist who directed an antisemitic slur at him in front of their 5-year-old daughter.
McMorrow has also criticized El-Sayed’s decision to campaign alongside left-wing streamer Hasan Piker during recent appearances at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan.
