The midterms are less than a week away. This election cycle, one group of voters has gotten outsized attention.

Jewish residents, who’ve long backed Democratic candidates by wide margins, are in the spotlight. That’s because in Michigan’s heated U.S. Senate race, the Jewish Democratic vote isn’t guaranteed for the Democratic candidate, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. 

Israel-Palestine conflict concerns voters and candidates

There’s division among Jewish voters in Michigan largely due to El-Sayed’s criticism of Israel.

“I’m not gonna look at a genocide and say, ‘yeah, that’s not a genocide’ because I’m afraid of what they’re going to spend against me,” he told The Metro’s Robyn Vincent.

“At the end of the day, my job here is not simply to say the things that get me elected and then find myself hamstrung to do the things that I’m actually wanting to get elected to do. The job is not worth it.”  

Mallory McMorrow speaks on her support of Abdul El-Sayed

Political actors from both parties have been trying to draw Jewish voters to their side of the ticket. 

Tuesday night, at a home outside Ann Arbor, state Senator Mallory McMorrow spoke to a few dozen people. She said Democrats need to flip the Senate, that Mike Rogers doesn’t care about the wellbeing of Jewish residents and that El-Sayed wants to protect all kids, including McMorrow’s daughter, who she’s raising Jewish.

“He came to my house after the primary and sat with me and my husband,” McMorrow told the crowd.

“We just had a very open dialogue about understanding that both his daughters and our daughter deserve the same safety and security, no matter their background.”

McMorrow ran against El-Sayed for more than a year, before a poll that turned out to be fabricated helped push her out of the race in July. Even still, she’s now campaigning for him.

She said Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin, who is Jewish, has also been supporting El-Sayed.

“I think, frankly, in the state of Michigan… People want to see a Jewish woman and a Muslim man being able to get along, debate, push and pull on each other to move the state forward,” Slotkin told MS NOW.

“Frankly, I think it’s good for Michigan. I think it’s good for the country to see that.”

Jewish Michigan residents pushing to unify on both sides of the aisle

After McMorrow’s speech on Tuesday, Debbie Rosenman, (who chairs the Birmingham Bloomfield Area Democratic Club), was trying to convince an attendee that El-Sayed isn’t antisemitic. She told The Metro’s Sam Corey that she has convinced a lot of people to vote for him.

“I say, ‘what concerns you?’ Then they tell me. Because I know so much about Abdul, I say, ‘Well I hear that, but you know I’m not sure that’s right.’ Then I pivot to what is correct.”

Debbie Rosenman is not alone. Michigan Jews for Democracy are going all-in for El-Sayed. The group has gathered over 1,000 signatures of people who support the candidate.

In the opposite direction, a group called Michigan Jews Against Extremism, supports Mike Rogers. It’s gathered over 560 signatures. 

A religious leader weighs in

Aaron Starr is a rabbi for Congregation Shaarey in Southfield. 

He’s also a leader of Nonnegotiable Michigan, which has asked El-Sayed to agree to a list of things the group believes would make Jewish people safer. 

In a Detroit News article, Starr wrote that he wouldn’t vote for El-Sayed, in large part for what he sees as unfair criticism of Israel.

“We’ve been communicating now for over a month with Dr. El-Sayed quite publicly,” Starr said on Facebook.

“If anything, he’s only given Jewish Michiganders reason not to vote for him. When Jewish Michiganders go to the ballot box, they’re going to have to decide between [former] Congressman Rogers, writing in a candidate and just skipping that race altogether.”

What can political figures do to bridge financial campaign gaps?

Groups are made of individuals. Individuals don’t always row in unison. 

How will a majority of Jewish voters — who comprise about 1.4% of the state’s electorate — vote next week? It’s unclear, but in a race that could be very close, it’s a big question.

Former Michigan U.S House Representative Andy Levin (District 9) has been stumping for El-Sayed for months.

Levin is part of one of the few Jewish dynasties in American politics.

He served two terms, starting in 2019. Then, redistricting put him in a primary against Congresswoman Haley Stevens. A super PAC tied to AIPAC spent more than $4 million to beat him — and it worked. 

Fast forward to the recent Senate primary. AIPAC and its allies spent close to $30 million backing Haley Stevens against El-Sayed. It was the biggest bet the group had ever made on a single race. El-Sayed won anyway — by one point.

Last week, AIPAC said it will stop endorsing candidates and writing direct checks after this cycle. Its super PAC keeps spending.

After the August primary, The Metro’s Robyn Vincent sat down with former Congressman Andy Levin to ask him why he’s supporting El-Sayed and why many Jewish Metro Detroiters are struggling to do the same.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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