A top adviser to U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn pushed back on Saturday after Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign reportedly sought to exclude Representative Haley Stevens from upcoming joint events. The intervention follows a concerted push by Clyburn and Representative Debbie Dingell to bridge a divide between the two Democrats ahead of a high-stakes Senate contest against Republican former Representative Mike Rogers.
Reports surfaced indicating that El-Sayed’s campaign had instructed Stevens to stay away from its remaining scheduled events. However, Clyburn adviser Antjuan Seawright rejected the move regarding a planned Sunday church appearance in Detroit, telling reporters that the gathering belonged to the community rather than the candidate. “This is not Abdul’s event,” Seawright said. “The invitation still stands.” Seawright added that both lawmakers remained welcome at the gathering and emphasized that Clyburn was concentrating on voter turnout rather than choosing sides in the intraparty dispute.
Speaking to journalists on Saturday, Clyburn acknowledged uncertainty regarding whether Stevens would ultimately choose to attend. The friction underscores lingering vulnerabilities for Democrats as El-Sayed faces Rogers in an election cycle that could determine control of the U.S. Senate. Stevens narrowly lost the August primary to El-Sayed, subsequently endorsed him, and appeared alongside him at initial party unity events. Despite initial cooperation, reports indicated the two had not spoken directly in months, though their campaign staffs remained in communication, with several former Stevens staffers joining El-Sayed’s operation.
The underlying dispute stems from a political advertisement by Rebellion PAC that linked U.S. military assistance for Israel to domestic funding shortfalls. While Stevens and other critics condemned the ad as antisemitic, El-Sayed’s campaign denied any involvement. Cenk Uygur of Rebellion PAC defended the spot as a critique of federal spending priorities rather than an attack on Jewish people.
Stevens stated on Friday that she accepted Clyburn’s invitation after receiving assurances from Democratic intermediaries that El-Sayed would condemn the PAC advertisement. At the same time, she demanded an apology from El-Sayed for his own previous remarks drawing a similar connection between foreign aid and domestic budgets, while also calling on him to remove a separate campaign ad featuring conservative television commentator Tucker Carlson criticizing Rogers. El-Sayed defended his focus, accusing Stevens of relitigating a primary election that concluded three months ago and urging Democrats to unite against Rogers.
Addressing reporters on Saturday, El-Sayed stated he disagreed with the Rebellion PAC spot but avoided directly answering whether he wanted Stevens present at the Sunday church appearance, asserting that his priority remained campaign issues such as health care, political spending, and household economic pressures. Meanwhile, personal fallout from the campaign has rippled into the electorate; Stevens’s fiancé, Jason Turkish, announced he plans to vote for Rogers due to concerns regarding El-Sayed’s rhetoric on Israel and Jewish safety, though Stevens maintains she will cast her own ballot for the Democratic nominee.
