Michigan Senate race divides Jewish and Muslim voters over Gaza

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 17 Oct, 15:02 · Archive

Michigan's Senate race between Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has become deeply personal for Jewish and Muslim voters already divided over the Gaza war.

Michigan's closely contested Senate race between Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has become deeply personal for voters in communities already divided by Israel's war in Gaza. El-Sayed, a former public health official, would be the country's first Muslim senator if elected on 3 November. Rogers, a former congressman, has increasingly portrayed El-Sayed as an extremist and a threat to Jewish voters, seeking to win over a traditionally Democratic constituency.

Rogers laughed when a visiting Republican senator claimed El-Sayed slept in an Osama bin Laden jersey, and he agreed with social media posts calling El-Sayed a terrorist. In West Bloomfield, a synagogue recovering from an attack this year sits half an hour's drive from the 'Wall of Tears' in downtown Dearborn, which memorialises children killed in Gaza.

The race has divided communities and even close friends. Jewish Democratic activist Lori Goldman described Rogers' message as 'a fear campaign', saying 'It's spreading and it's not spreading slowly.' In the Detroit suburbs, some Jewish Democrats are confronting questions about faith and identity as they weigh support for their party's nominee. In nearby Dearborn, Arab American leaders who backed Trump two years ago are growing increasingly alarmed by Republican rhetoric.

How it is being reported

• A bitter Michigan Senate race rattles Jewish and Muslim voters already on edge over the war in GazaMichigan’s closely contested Senate race has become deeply personal for some voters.Clickorlando · 17 Oct, 14:31
• A bitter Michigan Senate race rattles Jewish and Muslim voters already on edge over the war in GazaMichigan’s closely contested Senate race has become deeply personal for some voters.News4Jax · 17 Oct, 14:31

In this story: Mike Rogers · Abdul El-Sayed · Michigan · Detroit · Dearborn · West Bloomfield

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem