Centrist Democrats reportedly would rather surrender the U.S. Senate in the midterm elections than watch radical leftist Abdul El-Sayed win Michigan’s seat, according to The Intercept. The outlet described the prospect of the Muslim candidate becoming a senator as “the nightmare they fear most.”
The report [1] arrived as President Donald Trump directly targeted El-Sayed’s candidacy during a Sunday appearance in Michigan. Trump said he had come to the state for what he called a very important reason.
“I’m here today in Michigan for a very important reason; I’m here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator, and that’s the fact. We’re not going to let that happen,” Trump said, according to Breitbart News.
The Democratic campaign was already facing pressure from party moderates in the final days before the general election. They wanted El-Sayed to denounce an advertisement produced by The Young Turks presenter Cenk Uygur and his Rebellion PAC.
El-Sayed and his campaign had no involvement in producing or distributing the advertisement. The spot connected rising domestic prices with U.S. financial backing for the Israel military, and the campaign distanced itself from the message on Thursday in what the source described as a conciliatory gesture.
That retreat did not satisfy the centrists. Haley Stevens, the House member who lost to El-Sayed in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary in August, used his condemnation on Friday to launch a blistering denunciation of her former rival.
Her statement was framed as a “celebration” of her decision to campaign for El-Sayed that weekend alongside Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C. Stevens also laid out conditions for her support with only a few days remaining before the election.
The report placed the Michigan clash within the Democratic Party’s continuing movement to the left. Its account portrayed moderates as fully aware that their clout inside the party has sharply diminished.
“Right-wing Democrats aren’t stupid. They know their influence over the party is at a historic low,” the article said. The observation captured the predicament for centrists who secured El-Sayed’s condemnation but still treated his candidacy as an unacceptable outcome.
Another reported divide has emerged between Democrats who want to press the transgender agenda and those who would rather focus on the economy if the party holds potential majorities in the House or Senate in 2027, according to Breitbart News.
Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, who is running against El-Sayed, urged voters who initially supported Stevens to move into his camp. He accused the Democrat of building a divisive campaign.
When people tell you who they are, believe them. Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign has been based on vile racism and antisemitism, funded by groups who support terrorism, and designed to divide and blame.
As I said the day after the primary, if you believe Michigan can have a future where we can all come together, you have a home with us.
I say today: if you are a Haley Stevens voter who rejects this bigoted and hateful candidate, you have a home with us. If you believe we can all work together to make housing affordable, improve education and, lower gas prices, you have a home with us.
Let’s Get to Work.
— Mike Rogers (@MikeRogersForMI) October 30, 2026 [2]
“When people tell you who they are, believe them. Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign has been based on vile racism and antisemitism, funded by groups who support terrorism, and designed to divide and blame,” Rogers wrote in a social media post.
Rogers also repeated the invitation he made after the primary to voters seeking a different political home. “As I said the day after the primary, if you believe Michigan can have a future where we can all come together, you have a home with us,” Rogers said.
“I say today: if you are a Haley Stevens voter who rejects this bigoted and hateful candidate, you have a home with us. If you believe we can all work together to make housing affordable, improve education and, lower gas prices, you have a home with us. Let’s Get to Work,” he added.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) says, “The party that we have known our whole lives no longer exists,” during a campaign event with Michigan Republicans, including Republican Senate candidate and former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Rogers is in a tight race with Democrat candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a race that may be pivotal in determining which party will control the Senate.
More #GettyNewsVideo @spencerplatt1
https://t.co/JV8imEBfr1— Getty Images News (@GettyImagesNews) November 1, 2026 [3]
Trump endorsed Rogers on Saturday, praising his service and warning voters about El-Sayed’s agenda. The president delivered the endorsement in a Truth Social post.
“From the U.S. Army to Congress, Mike has served our Nation with distinction, and will bring that same Fighting Spirit to the U.S. Senate. His opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, is a Radical Left Dumocrat who is opposed to NO TAX ON TIPS, NO TAX ON OVERTIME, and NO TAX ON SOCIAL SECURITY and, if he and the Dumocrats ever got in, all of these things will be terminated. He wants massive Tax Increases, Open Borders, Men playing in Women’s Sports, and Transgender Mutilization of your Children. Abdul El-Sayed is Reckless, Radical, and Dangerous!” Trump wrote.
The endorsement put Trump squarely behind Rogers as the election approached. Meanwhile, the reported revolt among centrist Democrats showed that some in the party considered an El-Sayed victory even worse than losing the Senate contest.