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Several Jewish Michigan Democrats admitted Tuesday that they or people they know would support Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers in the upcoming election if Abdul El-Sayed becomes the Democratic nominee.
Ahead of the Aug. 4 primary, Jewish donors spoke with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) about the possibility of El-Sayed, who has been an outspoken critic of Israel, becoming the party’s candidate for a Michigan Senate seat.
JTA reported that several prominent Jewish fundraisers have already begun to view Rogers as a “defense” and are planning to raise funds for him against El-Sayed.
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“We have leaders in our Jewish community who are longtime, lifelong Democrats and Democratic Party fundraisers who are very concerned about where their party is going,” said Dennis Bernard, national chairman of government relations for the Jewish Federation of North America.
“And if that is the case, then they have made it clear, both financially and with their votes, that they will support Mike Rogers if El-Sayed wins the primary.”
Some Jewish Democrats said they plan to support Michigan Senate GOP candidate Mike Rogers if Abdul El-Sayed is the Democratic nominee. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Retired commercial mortgage banker Neil Gorosh described how the Democrat feels “rudderless,” saying that while he won’t fundraise for Rogers, he would vote for the Republican over El-Sayed.
“If it comes down to Mike Rogers and El-Sayed, I will vote for Mike Rogers,” Gorosh said. “I wouldn’t write a check, but I would vote for it and encourage my like-minded friends to do the same and explain why.”
Other Jewish Democrats told JTA they are more focused on electing El-Sayed’s primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, based on her past support for Israel’s right to exist as a nation.
“Anyone who cares about the future of US-Israel relations, Democrat or Republican, should vote for Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary,” said an anonymous Jewish leader.
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Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed previously suggested that Israel is “as evil” as Hamas. (Sarah Rice/Getty Images)
Shimon Levy, an Israeli-American entrepreneur from Detroit, expressed more apparent distrust of El-Sayed, remarking “to hell with this” amid concerns that Republicans will retain control of the Senate.
“El-Sayed did nothing but expose Jews to risk and danger, and he said he was so toxic that he single-handedly ostracized and atrocized the Jews of Southeast Michigan,” Levy said.
“If today, as a Jew, you still say, ‘Democrat on everything, Democrat on the ticket,’ you need to rethink your survival instinct.”
Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed’s campaign for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
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Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate campaign was filled with accusations of anti-Semitism based on El-Sayed’s past comments. (Sarah Rice/Getty Images)
Jewish voters expressed concern that El-Sayed promoted anti-Semitism throughout his campaign, based on his controversial statements and allies. He previously defended the election campaign alongside far-left Twitch streamer Hassan Peiker, who once said the terrorist organization Hamas was “a thousand times better” than Israel.
El-Sayed also avoided answering whether he believes Israel has a right to exist and said Israel is “just as evil” as Hamas.
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“Yes, killing tens of thousands of people makes you damn evil,” El-Sayed told CNN in April.
“It’s not about how evil this one is compared to that—Hamas: evil, Israeli government: evil. We can say both.”
Lindsey Cornick is an associate editor at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to lindsay.kornick@fox.com and on Twitter: @lmkornick.