Israel, the Middle East and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee emerged as major points of contention on Tuesday night as Democratic Senate candidates Rep. Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed clashed during a debate in Grand Rapids, Mich.
El-Sayed, a former Detroit health official, repeatedly criticized AIPAC, which has backed Stevens, accusing the pro-Israel group of driving the “bulk” of outside spending, which he estimated at roughly $40 million, against his campaign.
“We don’t need politicians bought off by corporations. In this race, you’ve probably seen ad after ad after ad,” El-Sayed said. “Not one of those ads was brought to you by the congresswoman’s campaign; all of them brought to you by corporate PACs and AIPAC trying to buy a politician who’s going to do their bidding instead of yours.”
El-Sayed also criticized U.S. foreign policy toward Israel, saying that AIPAC’s “goal is to make sure that our money is sent abroad to kill other people rather than kept here to invest here.”
Stevens defended her record and accused El-Sayed of lacking transparency, pointing to her release of tax returns while questioning whether he had done the same.
“You talk about getting money out of politics and putting money in people’s pockets, but who is putting money in yours?” Stevens said. “What are you hiding?”
The congresswoman also sought to distinguish herself from El-Sayed by describing herself as a practical lawmaker rather than a political celebrity.
“I’m the only person on this stage not trying to sell a book or a podcast,” she said. “We do not need a celebrity senator. We need a workhorse.”
‘Unafraid’
The debate came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Stevens’ recent criticism that he had “put Jews in an uncomfortable position across the country.” In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Netanyahu said the remarks reflected that Stevens “can’t stand up for the truth” and accused her of trying to excuse antisemitism.
During the debate, Stevens reiterated her criticism of Netanyahu when asked about the Iran war, saying both he and President Donald Trump had “failed” to bring long-term peace.
“It is very clear that Mr. Netanyahu has not made us safer, has not brought us closer to peace, and he’s endangered Jews here in America and around the world,” she said. “I am not afraid to stand up, and I continue to stand up for humanitarian aid, for the U.S. to work with the countries in the region and get aid into Gaza.”
“I am unafraid, Michigan,” she added. “You are my north star, and no illegal wars, no unilateral wars at our expense.”
El-Sayed said that Netanyahu is the “one man” who wanted the Iran war to be fought and that “the reason that we’ve seen this war fought is the impact of AIPAC in our politics.”
“For too long, our foreign policy has been handed to us by the likes of the State of Israel and AIPAC, who has made sure that Democrats and Republicans are doing their bidding,” he said. “I don’t take that money.”
He later accused AIPAC of influencing U.S. policy to benefit Israel, saying, “So long as our politicians continue to be bought off by AIPAC, do not be surprised when we fight wars that are in their best interest to annex Lebanon or to do genocide in Gaza.”
Stevens accused the Republican Party of bolstering El-Sayed’s campaign because he would be easier for former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) to defeat. El-Sayed said in response that if Stevens is the Democratic nominee, then “either way, Israel will win” and AIPAC would be “fine” with either Rogers or Stevens.
Stevens said that the candidates’ differences came down to her support for a two-state solution as well as her belief that “Israel has a right to peacefully exist alongside the people of Palestine and in Gaza.”
El-Sayed called for ending U.S. funding to the Israeli military, saying that “we cannot continue to sell weapons to a country that is doing human rights abuses, genocide and apartheid.”
“We need to stop running cover for what has become a rogue state that is now trying to annex southern Lebanon,” he said.
El-Sayed also accused Netanyahu of criticizing Stevens in an effort to “try and steer away the stink of how staunchly she stands for their policy.”
“Explain what you’ve given away for AIPAC’s support in this race,” he said.
Stevens responded, saying that “no one owns my vote, and no one owns my policies.”
“Anyone who is contributing to my Senate campaign is doing so because of my proven record of fighting for Michigan,” she said.
