Abdul El-Sayed attacks VP Vance as Senate battle heats up in final campaign days
Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat running against Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, attacked Vice President J.D. Vance during a campaign rally as the midterm election season hits its final few days.
by Summer Lane | October 30, 2026
Abdul El-Sayed’s bid to become the next senator for Michigan depends entirely on whether he can best Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers – and the race is tighter than ever.
Amid the homestretch of midterm campaigning, Republican and Democrat rallies alike have engaged in plenty of mudslinging and insults toward the opposing party. This week, Sayed, a physician and Muslim who has run an undeniably slick campaign, took aim at Vice President J.D. Vance.
“They keep sending that Ohio State Buckeye here,” Sayed told rallygoers during an event in Kalamazoo. “What’s his name? JV Dance? They keep sending JV here, and asking JV to do the dirty work…JV’s got zero charisma, they taught him that at Ohio State; when your school mascot’s like, a nut, what do you expect?”
Sayed is within striking distance of claiming the seat – which became available as current Democrat Sen. Gary Peters (Mich.) is closing out his time in office – amid an election year when Republicans can’t afford to lose races to Democrats if they are to maintain slim majorities in either the Senate or the House.
According to a new State of the State Survey (Oct. 26) from Michigan State University’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, the race between El-Sayed and Rogers is very tight: Sayed leads with 48.8 percent of the vote against Rogers’ 45.5 percent.
Interestingly, religion may play a factor in the Senate race. The survey’s polling found that 38 percent of potential Michigan voters said “a Muslim candidate would make them less likely to offer support.”
El-Sayed’s religious preference may not be as much of a deterrent as polling suggests. After all, New York City recently elected its first openly Muslim mayor in Zohran Mamdani.
However, the race between El-Sayed and Rogers is tight enough that the race could go in either direction, depending on voter turnout on November 3.
President Donald Trump has endorsed Rogers’ campaign. He has also endorsed U.S. Republican Rep. John James (Mich.) for governor.
James is running against Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat.
Photo: Adobe Stock
