Jewish Democrats in Michigan Shift Support to GOP Candidate in Senate Race

Some influential Jewish Democrats in Michigan have decided to support Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers. Michigan GOP Chairman Jim Runestad expressed confidence that this shift could lead to a substantial defection from the Democratic Party due to opposition to Abdul El-Sayed. Runestad explained that Jewish Democratic donors are particularly concerned about El-Sayed’s comments and associations, which have caused fear within Michigan’s Jewish community.

Approximately 500 individuals, identifying as Jewish Democrats or independents in Michigan, have signed an open letter. They view Rogers as a “friend to the Jewish community” and warn that an El-Sayed victory might lead to “far-left and anti-Jewish elements” becoming more influential within the Democratic Party.

In response to the reported decline in Jewish support, El-Sayed released a video on social media. The video shows him observing Rosh Hashanah with two Jewish women involved in pro-Palestinian activism. The video faced criticism, including from a Democratic state lawmaker, who called it “tokenism.” Jonathan Greenberg, a rabbi combating antisemitism, argued that the video wasn’t aimed at the Jewish community but at non-Jewish people concerned about bigotry.

Despite El-Sayed’s efforts, the video received significant engagement on social media. However, the impact of this alienation of Jewish voters on the broader Democratic support in Michigan remains uncertain. The open letter endorsing Rogers clarifies that signatories do not all support President Donald Trump, and their support is specific to this Senate race.

In the short term, the Rogers campaign reports success in their Jewish outreach. A campaign insider mentioned their social media is flooded with positive feedback from Jewish voters, and fundraisers with donors have been successful, though specific numbers were not provided.

Runestad believes Republicans can gain long-term support from the Jewish community by aligning with their values of entrepreneurship, lower taxes, and reduced regulation. While this could favor Rogers, he also faces El-Sayed’s strong backing in Michigan’s Arab American community, particularly in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, where he has significant support in the Democratic primary.

Runestad highlighted concerns over Hasan Piker, a close associate of El-Sayed, due to his controversial comments. The Jewish community, Runestad said, is increasingly aware of the potential threat posed by Piker’s antisemitic comments.

El-Sayed dismissed his connection to Piker as insignificant and criticized Piker’s comments as “dumb.” Campaign spokesman Cole Wozniak stated that El-Sayed values his conversations with Jewish leaders and remains engaged with communities to form a coalition to defeat Rogers and challenge Trump’s agenda.

In response to the open letter supporting Rogers, liberal Jewish leaders in Michigan have gathered signatures from over 800 Jewish Michiganders expressing their support for El-Sayed, with some noting disagreements on foreign policy and other issues. El-Sayed continues to focus on addressing the concerns of Michigan Jews by seeking endorsements from Jewish lawmakers and meeting with community members.