Haley Stevens, Abdul El-Sayed Clash Over Israel Ad Before Rally

Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., said Friday she expects Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to formally condemn an ad she calls antisemitic, a demand that surfaced three days before the two are scheduled to appear together at a Detroit rally, according to NBC News.

The statements, released Friday, mark the first public friction between Stevens and El-Sayed since El-Sayed defeated her in a Democratic Senate primary in August, NBC News reported. Sunday's rally would be their first joint campaign appearance.

What does the ad say, and who made it?

The ad, produced by an outside progressive group called Rebellion PAC, is set in a grocery store and suggests that U.S. support for Israel and the war in Gaza is squeezing household budgets, according to NBC News. Stevens described the ad's message bluntly in her statement: "This ad tells Michigan families they cannot afford groceries because their money has to be set aside for 'killing Palestinians,' and it blames our close ally Israel for everything Michiganders cannot afford."

What is Stevens asking El-Sayed to do?

Stevens said in her statement that she expects El-Sayed to apologize for comments she argues are similar in tone to the ad. "I therefore expect him to apologize for those statements as well," she said. She added, "Abdul promises to get money out of politics. He can begin by getting Israel out of his explanation for everything Michigan cannot afford." Stevens said the expectation that El-Sayed would condemn the ad is part of why she agreed to campaign alongside him Sunday.

How has El-Sayed responded?

El-Sayed is not affiliated with Rebellion PAC, and his campaign distanced itself from the ad in statements to The New York Times earlier in the week, NBC News reported. The network's account of the dispute does not include a direct, on-the-record rebuttal from El-Sayed to Stevens' Friday statement, and it remains unclear from the available reporting whether he has agreed to the apology Stevens is seeking.

Will the Sunday rally still happen?

NBC News reported that it is unclear whether Friday's dueling statements will affect the planned Sunday appearance in Detroit, where the two had been set to headline a rally together. No cancellation or change to the event has been reported.

Why does this matter for the Michigan Senate race?

The clash has pulled in other Michigan Democrats as the party works to hold a Senate seat in a battleground state, according to NBC News. Stevens lost the primary to El-Sayed in August after a contest NBC News characterized as bitter, and her willingness to campaign for him afterward had been seen as a show of party unity heading into the general election. A public dispute over an outside group's messaging on Israel, three days before their first joint appearance, puts that unity to an early test as El-Sayed heads into the final stretch of his Senate campaign.

HTT News will update this report as additional statements from either campaign become available.