Politics · United States · 4 hrs ago
Vance and El-Sayed trade insults in heated Michigan Senate race
Vice President JD Vance and Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed traded insults as the state’s election campaign grew more contentious.
Vance called El-Sayed a “weasel” and urged voters to reject him, while El-Sayed responded at a rally in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula by calling himself a Wolverine.
President Trump and Republicans have portrayed El-Sayed as an Islamic extremist, but the article says there is no evidence for Trump’s claims that he is a “Muslim radical” or a Muslim Brotherhood member.
El-Sayed has denied ties to the Islamist organization and says the attacks target him because of his Muslim faith.
The Michigan seat could help decide control of the US Senate, which Democrats are seeking to win in November.
The vote is scheduled for November 3, and the candidates’ attacks have intensified in the weeks before it.
Vice President JD Vance called Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed a “weasel” and said he should “shut his mouth,” escalating an already contentious Senate race.
El-Sayed responded at a rally in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, calling himself a “Wolverine” and telling Vance to “go shove it somewhere else.”
Vance and President Donald Trump have portrayed El-Sayed as an Islamic extremist, making claims for which the article says there is no evidence.
El-Sayed denied ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and said attacks on him were tied to his Muslim faith.
The race is important to Democrats’ efforts to gain control of the U.S. Senate in November.
- Who
- Vice President JD Vance and Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed.
- What
- They traded insults amid a heated Michigan Senate race. Vance also criticized El-Sayed’s comments about America’s history.
- When
- The remarks were made on Thursday; the article was published October 16, 2026.
- Where
- At campaign events in Michigan, including rallies in Monroe and the Upper Peninsula.
- Why
- Vance criticized El-Sayed’s comments about America’s history and his commitment to the country; El-Sayed said the attacks were tied to his Muslim faith.
JD Vance and Republicans
Abdul El-Sayed
Claims about El-Sayed
JD Vance and Republicans
Vance and Republicans have portrayed El-Sayed as an Islamic extremist; Trump called him a “Muslim radical” and a “Muslim Brotherhood Member.
Abdul El-Sayed
El-Sayed denied ties to the Islamist organization and said the attacks were tied to his Muslim faith.
Commitment to America
JD Vance and Republicans
Vance said El-Sayed did not love the community and wanted to use grievances from faraway lands to punish people.
Abdul El-Sayed
El-Sayed said the remarks were intended to raise questions about his commitment to America and rejected Vance’s criticism.
Vance criticized El-Sayed at a rally in Monroe, and El-Sayed spoke at events in Iron Mountain and the Upper Peninsula.
President Trump posted a Truth Social video calling El-Sayed a “Muslim radical” and a “Muslim Brotherhood Member.
CBS News published its report on the exchange.
Vance urged voters to punish El-Sayed at the polls.
- Candidates
- JD Vance and Abdul El-Sayed
- Election
- Michigan Senate race; voting is scheduled for November 3
- Upper Peninsula rally
- More than 1,300 people attended
- Trump’s claims
- Called El-Sayed a “Muslim radical” and a “Muslim Brotherhood Member
- Past post
- El-Sayed’s half-sister wrote that her family “has long been MB” in 2012
What people are saying
it's clear – Abdul doesn't love this community, Democrat or Republican.
No, no, no. What you're talking about is a f****** Wolverine. You could take your Buckeye and go shove it somewhere else,
In America, we don't discriminate against people for who they love, how they identify, how they pray, the color of their skin. We believe in an America big enough for all of us.
as one of the ugliest campaigns in modern history
Posts on X
Far-right instigator Jake Lang and other protestors are outside an Abdul El-Sayed event with Sen. Warren in Hart, MI, per a video shared by a source there. They’re holding signs calling El-Sayed a terrorist and to deport him. They’re also chanting “Mike Rogers for Senate.”