Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens feud ahead of key Michigan Senate race

October 30, 2026 / 8:17 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and his Democratic primary rival, Rep. Haley Stevens, clashed Friday ahead of a Sunday campaign event where both were expected to make a rare appearance together.

The public rift between the two Democrats comes just days before one of the country's most hotly contested Senate races, as Republican nominee Mike Rogers seeks to peel off centrist Democratic voters. El-Sayed and the more moderate Stevens offered starkly differing visions for the future of the party during the primary, and although Stevens endorsed El-Sayed after he won the nomination, the two largely haven't campaigned alongside each other.

In a statement Friday evening, El-Sayed said Stevens "seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago."

The dig came hours after Stevens demanded that El-Sayed — a vehement critic of U.S. aid to Israel — apologize for suggesting during the campaign that "Israel is the reason Michigan cannot afford schools, health care, and child care."

"Abdul promises to get money out of politics," Stevens said in the statement. "He can begin by getting Israel out of his explanation for everything Michigan cannot afford."

She…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/