Vice President JD Vance said Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed presents himself as a "working-class hero" but draws support from "wealthy white liberals," opening a Republican attack before November.
Vance Casts El-Sayed As Elite Progressive
"El-Sayed, he’s this guy who holds himself out as a working-class hero, is a guy who’s gonna fight for the working class," Vance told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on Wednesday. "He doesn’t have a constituency among the working class."
Vance said El-Sayed’s immigration, trade and economic positions would hurt Michigan workers and accused Democrats’ progressive wing of embracing "radicals" who "hate even the idea of private property ownership."
Primary Results Complicate Vance’s Working-Class Attack
The criticism followed El-Sayed’s narrow Michigan primary victory over Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.). AP called the race after El-Sayed led by 14,893 votes, just under 1 percentage point, among 1.5 million ballots. He will face Republican Mike Rogers in a contest that could determine Senate control.
The results complicate Vance’s broader claim. Reuters reported Stevens performed better in counties with larger working-class and Black populations, while El-Sayed prevailed among white college-educated voters. His campaign also mobilized young liberals and drew strength from Michigan’s Arab American communities.
El-Sayed built a 12,000-person volunteer network, visited 110 cities and held more than 500 events. He overcame $60 million in outside spending while campaigning on Medicare for All, campaign finance reform and ending unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel.
Democrats Rally Behind Nominee Before November
Vance linked El-Sayed’s rise to younger graduates who were "sold a bill of goods" by universities. "They gave them a lot of debt. They did not give them useful skills or a useful credential," he said. "A lot of these kids are very angry."
El-Sayed has called for abolishing ICE and opposed sweeping tariffs that shift costs to consumers. Michigan’s auto economy remains central as Trump credits tariffs with reviving manufacturing, while industry groups warn broad vehicle duties could raise prices and disrupt supply chains.
Republicans labeled El-Sayed extreme. Democrats, including Stevens and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), pledged to unite behind him. El-Sayed said Wednesday, "Whatever differences that we might have had in the primary, they pale in comparison to what unifies us."
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