El-Sayed's Jewish outreach ignites 'tokenism' fury as Michigan GOP chair makes bold prediction

As some prominent Jewish Democrats in Michigan throw their support behind Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers, the state's GOP chair told Fox News Digital he is confident that opposition to Abdul El-Sayed will spark a significant Jewish defection from the Democratic Party on Election Day.

"The big issue is Democratic donors who are Jewish, and what we're hearing most of the angst is about from them, is El-Sayed," Michigan GOP Chairman Jim Runestad told Fox News Digital. "His off-the-charts comments and his associations are actually striking fear into the Jewish community here in the state of Michigan."

Indeed, roughly 500 individuals identifying as Jewish Democrats or independents living in Michigan have signed an open letter calling Rogers a "friend to the Jewish community" and warning that an El-Sayed victory could allow "far-left and anti-Jewish elements" to become dominant within the Democratic Party.

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Amid his allegedly faltering Jewish support, El-Sayed released a video on social media where he showed himself spending Rosh Hashanah, essentially the Jewish New Year, with two Jewish women. The two women's pro-Palestinian activism, along with criticism of their apparent unfamiliarity with the Hebrew prayers featured in the video, drew scrutiny from critics - including one Democratic state lawmaker.

"Man I really hate tokenism," Democrat state Rep. Noah Arbit, who represents the heavily Jewish town of West Bloomfield, wrote.

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"This isn't designed to appeal to the Jewish community. It's for any non-Jews concerned about his bigotry who won't immediately be suspicious," Jonathan Greenberg, a rabbi who leads the effort to combat antisemitism at a conservative advocacy group, wrote.

El-Sayed's video nonetheless drew significant engagement on social media, generating thousands of interactions across X and TikTok.

Even if El-Sayed alienates Jewish voters, it is unclear if that will have lasting, or even down-ballot, effects for Democrats in Michigan. The open letter endorsing Rogers, for instance, makes clear that signatories do not necessarily support President Donald Trump and states that their support is specific to "this year and in this Senate race."

As it relates to the short term, the Rogers campaign claims that their Jewish outreach efforts have been successful.

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A source within the Rogers campaign told Fox News Digital that their social media inboxes are "constantly" being filled with positive messages from Jewish voters and that they've been "inundated" with outreach more generally. The source also claimed that the fundraisers they held with donors have gone well, though did not provide specific numbers.

Runestad, however, is confident that Republicans can make lasting gains with the Jewish community if they play their cards right.

"We think there's also an opening for Republicans long term to start getting the Jewish community to look at the Republicans from a different perspective," he told Fox News Digital. "We have been very connected to so much of what the Jewish community believes in terms of being entrepreneurial, supporting lower taxes and reducing regulation."

While Jewish voters swinging significantly toward Rogers could benefit the Republican, he will also have to contend with El-Sayed's strong support in Michigan's Arab American community, particularly in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, where he built a commanding advantage in the Democratic primary.

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"We have been outreaching to the Jewish community here in Oakland County, which is a very substantial community, and I think we're going to see a real sea change this cycle," Runestad said.

"The real concern for the Jewish community is someone like Hasan Piker. Anybody who has looked at his comments - they're off the charts," he added. "This is like the right-hand man of El-Sayed, and some of his despicable antisemitic comments are certainly going to be brought to bear in this election. The Jewish community is becoming more and more aware of just how dangerous someone like Hasan Piker is and his connection to El-Sayed."

El-Sayed has dismissed his proximity to Piker as insignificant to Michigan voters and called the streamer's assertion that America "deserved" 9/11 "dumb." He has also pushed back against claims that his campaign is floundering among Jewish voters.

"Abdul is grateful for the good conversations he's had with Jewish leaders across Michigan, and he'll continue to be actively engaged with communities to build the coalition that will defeat Rogers, restore Democratic control of the U.S. Senate, and put a much-needed check on Trump's reckless agenda," campaign spokesman Cole Wozniak told Fox News Digital.

In response to the pro-Rogers open letter, liberal Jewish leaders in Michigan have collected signatures from over 800 people identifying as Jewish Michiganders affirming their support for El-Sayed, though noting that some of them disagree with him on foreign policy and other issues. El-Sayed has made assuaging the concerns of Michigan Jews a priority for his campaign, courting endorsements from high-profile Jewish lawmakers and meeting frequently with members of the community.