As some prominent Jewish Democrats in Michigan throw their support behind Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers, the states GOP chair told Fox News Digital he is confident that opposition to Abdul El-Sayed will spark a significant Jewish defection from the Democratic Party on Election Day.
“The big issue is Democratic donors who are Jewish, and what were hearing most of the angst is about from them, is El-Sayed,” Michigan GOP Chairman Jim Runestad told Fox News Digital. “His off-the-charts comments and his associations are actually striking fear into the Jewish community here in the state of Michigan.”
Indeed, roughly 500 individuals identifying as Jewish Democrats or independents living in Michigan have signed an open letter calling Rogers a “friend to the Jewish community” and warning that an El-Sayed victory could allow “far-left and anti-Jewish elements” to become dominant within the Democratic Party.
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Amid his allegedly faltering Jewish support, El-Sayed released a video on social media where he showed himself spending Rosh Hashanah, essentially the Jewish New Year, with two Jewish women. The two womens pro-Palestinian activism, along with criticism of their apparent unfamiliarity with the Hebrew prayers featured in the video, drew scrutiny from critics â including one Democratic state lawmaker.
“Man I really hate tokenism,” Democrat state Rep. Noah Arbit, who represents the heavily Jewish town of West Bloomfield, wrote.
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“This isnt designed to appeal to the Jewish community. Its for any non-Jews concerned about his bigotry who wont immediately be suspicious,” Jonathan Greenberg, a rabbi who leads the effort to combat antisemitism at a conservative advocacy group, wrote.
El-Sayeds video nonetheless drew significant engagement on social media, generating thousands of interactions across X and TikTok.
Even if El-Sayed alienates Jewish voters, it is unclear if that will have lasting, or even down-ballot, effects for Democrats in Michigan. The open letter endorsing Rogers, for instance, makes clear that signatories do not necessarily support President Donald Trump and states that their support is specific to “this year and in this Senate race.”
As it relates to the short term, the Rogers campaign claims that their Jewish outreach efforts have been successful.
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A source within the Rogers campaign told Fox News Digital that their social media inboxes are “constantly” being filled with positive messages from Jewish voters and that theyve been “inundated” with outreach more generally. The source also claimed that the fundraisers they held with donors have gone well, though did not provide specific numbers.
Runestad, how
