The final Democratic Senate debate before Michigan’s August 4 primary centered Monday night on recently leaked audio of Abdul El-Sayed discussing putting the head of an “ogre” on a pike, with rival Rep. Haley Stevens using the controversy to argue her opponent prioritizes national political ambitions over representing Michigan.
The confrontation came hours after the donor call audio emerged, providing Stevens with new attack lines in the race’s final week.
Stevens Questions El-Sayed’s Motivations
Stevens opened the debate by challenging El-Sayed’s commitment to Michigan. “Abdul is running for celebrity,” she said. “Republicans are propping up his campaign, and Mike Rogers just the other day said in a secret phone call that he makes it easier for him to win, that he’s the one he wants to run against.”
“Look, this isn’t about the D.C. or New York influencer crowd. This is about putting Michigan first,” Stevens added.
The ‘Ogre’ Mystery Solved
When moderator Roop Raj pressed El-Sayed about the leaked audio, noting Democrats had taken offense to his “ogre” comment, the candidate declined to directly apologize. Instead, he pointed to recent social media posts calling for civility among his supporters.
“I took to Twitter last week and said that the tone in which people talk about my opponent is unkind,” El-Sayed said. “I asked anybody who supported me to not talk about her that way.”
El-Sayed then clarified the controversial remark wasn’t aimed at Stevens at all. “I was referring to a guy named John Fetterman, who’s a senator from Pennsylvania, who has done terrible things, got elected on a set of values, and is now completely throwing those values in the mud,” he said.
AIPAC Spending Becomes Flashpoint
El-Sayed quickly shifted to one of his central campaign themes, attacking outside spending supporting Stevens. “When we talk about unkindness, I also just want to speak to the fact that, on behalf of my opponent, UDP — another name for AIPAC — has been running attack ad after attack ad after attack ad on my character,” he said, referencing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Stevens used the leaked audio controversy to reinforce broader concerns about El-Sayed’s focus. “There was something else that was revealed in the phone call,” she said. “He said that he’s not going to be able to get much done, that he’s not focused on policy for the first two years that he is in the United States Senate, that he’s going to be focused on national politics.”
Past Comments Resurface
When pressed again on civility, Stevens cited El-Sayed’s previous remarks about prominent Michigan Democrats. “Only he can account for saying that Whitmer is ‘bought and paid for,’ or that ‘no one cares about Debbie Stabenow,’ or that Mallory McMorrow ‘isn’t smart enough,'” she said.
El-Sayed maintained the race should center on policy and influence rather than personal attacks. “I told you at the outset that my opponent was going to make this race about me and her,” he said. “But this is about you,” referring to Michigan Democratic voters.
The tense exchange concluded with a rare moment of levity after El-Sayed’s clarification about the “ogre” comment. “Thank you for clarifying that you didn’t call me an ogre,” Stevens quipped.
Michigan voters head to the polls for the Democratic Senate primary on August 4.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-democratic-debate-solves-the-ogre-mystery