J.D. Vance Attacks Abdul El-Sayed as He Campaigns for Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan

J.D. Vance sharply criticized Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed while speaking to reporters in Michigan, using personal language and questioning the candidate’s political associations. The vice president was preparing to travel to a campaign event in Howell on October 27 in support of Republican rival Mike Rogers. Vance called El-Sayed “a little bit of a psychopath” and said Republicans would make their case against him. Asked whether he agreed with Donald Trump’s description of El-Sayed as a “jihadist,” Vance stopped short of endorsing that label. He said he did not know what was in El-Sayed’s heart, but claimed the candidate had “weird friends” and had aligned himself with part of the Democratic Party that, in Vance’s view, did not represent most Democrats. Vance also accused El-Sayed of engaging in what he called “explicitly anti-white racial hatred,” arguing that he should not be elected. He framed the race as a choice between El-Sayed and Rogers, whom he described as a decent public servant who belonged in Washington. The remarks came after Trump had called El-Sayed a “jihadist” at a rally in Port Huron on October 25. Trump repeatedly invoked the September 11 attacks during that speech, according to the article. Vance’s comments echoed the administration’s criticism but included his own accusations about El-Sayed’s political rhetoric and associations. Rogers had previously criticized El-Sayed after the candidate won the Democratic Senate primary on August 5. In a statement cited by the source, Rogers attacked El-Sayed over past comments concerning U.S. foreign policy following the September 11 attacks. The article does not provide El-Sayed’s response to Vance’s latest remarks. Vance’s visit was part of a campaign effort to help Rogers, as Republicans sought to challenge El-Sayed’s bid for the Senate. His statements combined an endorsement of Rogers with a forceful attack on the Democratic nominee, while leaving the most inflammatory label used by Trump unconfirmed.