Ted Cruz calls Abdul El-Sayed a “jihadist leprechaun,” as GOP closing message leans into attacks

October 28, 2026 / 2:52 PM EDT / CBS News

Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan — At a campaign event outside of Detroit, GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas attempted to tie Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood — a claim El-Sayed has repeatedly denied.

"My nickname for the guy is the jihadist leprechaun," Cruz said about El-Sayed.

Cruz later said that El-Sayed would get top-level security clearance as a U.S. Senator if elected, claiming that El-Sayed could be put on the Senate Intelligence Committee, "and if I am correct that he is a passionate supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, there is a very real risk that Americans will die as a result."

The insinuation El-Sayed has ties with the Muslim Brotherhood has been a core part of the closing message for Republican nominee Mike Rogers in what is expected to be a razor-tight Senate race in Michigan. Some branches of the group were designated as a terrorist organization by the Trump administration in January.

El-Sayed said in a recent interview with Fox News: "I have never been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, I never will be a member of the Muslim Brotherhood."

El-Sayed and his campaign have…

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