El-Sayed Doubles Down on His Antisemitism in Disastrous Interview

Abdul El-Sayed is having a terrible home stretch in the Michigan Senate race, digging himself deeper on a daily basis. And for whatever reason, he just can't seem to put the shovel down.

First, he refused to condemn a blatantly antisemitic ad supporting his campaign. That was too much for Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), his former primary opponent, who had endorsed him after their race. Stevens flipped and endorsed his Republican opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers. In the final days of the campaign, El-Sayed's candidacy is tearing the Democrat Party apart, and now he is stuck playing defense on antisemitism at a time he needs Jewish voters the most.

60 Minutes ran a segment on the Michigan Senate race featuring interviews with El-Sayed and Rogers. Ross Douthat, formerly of The New York Times, conducted both interviews, and he gave each candidate a fair hearing. El-Sayed tried to take control of the interview, and that’s where things blew up.

“I don't ever get the question of, 'Does Palestine have the right to exist?'" El-Sayed said.

Douthat obliged and asked him exactly that. El-Sayed said yes without missing a beat.

Then Douthat turned the same question toward Israel.

“Does Israel have the right to exist?” he asked.

It wasn’t a trick question.

“S— yes. If there is a shared understanding—" El-Sayed said before Douthat interrupted to challenge the qualifier.

“Wait,” Douthat interrupted. “You said— you said—”

“Let me just— let me just— let me just— understand. I believe— and this is the— this is the problem with this debate. We start from where we sit rather than start from principles. I believe in equal rights to peace, dignity, and self-determination for Palestinians and Jewish Israelis alike. If the Palestinian people decide and the Israeli people decide that they want two states for two people, and they decide that on equal terms, I'm for it. If they decide that they want one state shared in a different way, I'm for that.”

CBS: “Does Palestine have the right to exist?” EL-SAYED: “Yes” CBS: “Does Israel have the right to exist?” EL-SAYED: “So, uh, yes, if there is a shared understanding…" CBS: "Wait, you said-" EL-SAYED: "Lemme just..." https://t.co/Ypqt0r6a38
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 2, 2026

Palestine got a clean yes with no strings attached. Israel, however, got a stammer and conditions. When Douthat pressed him, El-Sayed retreated into a speech about starting from principles. And did you notice what he slipped in at the end? A single state "shared in a different way" is the campaign-friendly phrasing for a world without a Jewish state, and El-Sayed says he'd be fine with it. In his framing, Palestine's existence is a given. Israel's existence is something conditional, something to be negotiated and possibly voted away. That's a remarkable position for a man asking Michigan voters to send him to the U.S. Senate, and it explains a lot about why he won't denounce antisemitic ads aimed at his opponents.

It also lines up with what a Michigan Democrat Party staffer said on hidden video last month. Abdoul Beckwith claimed that El-Sayed is reluctant to denounce Islamic terrorist groups because doing so would alienate his base. When asked specifically about the Muslim Brotherhood, Beckwith said condemning the organization could cost El-Sayed his Muslim supporters.

"So that's the whole thing. So when Abdul is going to denounce that [Muslim Brotherhood], they're [Muslims] going to think that he is siding with the genociders," Beckwith said.

Put the pieces together, and the case makes itself.

In the end, El-Sayed is struggling to pretend he isn’t antisemitic. He won’t condemn an antisemitic ad or affirm Israel’s right to exist, and he won’t condemn terrorist groups. Why? Because he can’t offend the base that elected him in the primary.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

Help PJ Media continue to report on the Democrats’ radicalism and inform voters as our nation faces a crossroads. Join PJ Media VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.