Democratic contender Abdul El-Sayed hits back at JD Vance over ‘evil’ taunt

Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed responded to Republican Vice President JD Vance's accusations of "evil" behavior, asserting that Vance's policies are the true manifestation of evil. Vance's speech aimed to portray El-Sayed as a representative of "terrible evil" who fights for one group at the expense of others, particularly targeting undocumented immigrants.

However, El-Sayed, who would be the first Muslim US senator if elected, accused Vance of a "dog whistle" in response to the Islamophobic remarks he has faced throughout his campaign. The Republican nominee did not directly mention El-Sayed's religion in his speech, but warned that "there's something about Abdul El-Sayed that is very, very evil."

El-Sayed retorted in a statement, defining evil as "ripping healthcare away from working people in exchange for tax breaks for billionaires," "making people pay more for groceries and gas while pushing for trade wars and actual war," "dividing people for your own gain," and "selling out your morals for a little bit of power." Vance repeatedly claimed that El-Sayed prioritized his ethnic group over others and criticized his comments after the attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield.

El-Sayed admitted to a "mistake" in his initial response, but later insisted he should have only condemned the attack. Vance also called out El-Sayed for mentioning his wife's name during a speech, where he criticized Vance's family. El-Sayed defended his comment, stating that Vance's political philosophy relies on the idea that some people are "more American" than others.

The escalating attacks come as Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate nominee, tries to appeal to moderate Democrats and Jewish Americans following a contentious primary that saw El-Sayed narrowly defeat a pro-Israel congresswoman.