Vice President JD Vance and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, both criticized Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee in Michigan’s Senate race, during separate campaign stops on Monday and Tuesday. The remarks intensified rhetoric in a closely watched contest against Republican Mike Rogers that could influence control of the U.S. Senate.
Vance accuses El-Sayed of anti-white racial hatred
Vice President Vance, campaigning for Rogers in Howell, Michigan, on Tuesday, claimed El-Sayed had engaged in “explicitly anti-white racial hatred.” Vance made the remarks to reporters en route to a rally, stating that El-Sayed’s rhetoric reflected a pattern within the Democratic Party. He contrasted El-Sayed with Rogers, calling the Republican nominee “fundamentally a decent guy.” Vance also addressed a question about whether El-Sayed was a “jihadist,” saying the Democrat had “a lot of weird friends” and had aligned himself with people who justify violence against the United States.
RFK Jr. claims Arabs ‘don’t produce science’ during Michigan rally
On Monday in Grand Rapids, Kennedy addressed the Muslim Brotherhood while discussing Rogers’ campaign, calling the group a “death cult” and describing its ideology as one of “victimization, murder, and genocide.” He then asserted that 500 million Arabs do not contribute to science or literature, stating that “they don’t produce science. They don’t win the Nobel Prize.” Kennedy’s comments came during a discussion of Rogers’ criticism of El-Sayed’s alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, which El-Sayed has repeatedly denied.
El-Sayed’s campaign responds to allegations
El-Sayed, a former public health official and progressive candidate, has faced repeated attacks from Republicans, including Donald Trump, who previously called him a “Jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member” and suggested he would need to pass through a metal detector to enter the U.S. Senate. El-Sayed has denied any association with the Islamist group and has described the allegations as politically motivated smears.
Nobel Prize records contradict Kennedy’s claims
Kennedy’s assertion that Arabs do not win major international prizes is contradicted by public records. Egyptian scientist Ahmed Zewail won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1999, and Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988. Additionally, Yemeni journalist Tawakkol Karman shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011.
Race remains tight ahead of Election Day
Michigan’s Senate race between Rogers and El-Sayed is considered a toss-up, with polls showing a narrow margin. The state has the highest share of residents reporting Arab ancestry of any U.S. state, at approximately 2.2%, according to 2024 U.S. Census Bureau data. Both campaigns have framed the race as critical to determining control of the Senate in the next Congress.
Neither the Rogers nor El-Sayed campaigns immediately responded to requests for comment on the remarks by Vance and Kennedy.