Jewish Voice for Peace Action has endorsed Abdul El-Sayed for Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, positioning his campaign for an August 4 Democratic primary against Rep. Haley Stevens and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow. The endorsement intensifies scrutiny over El-Saye
On the eve of Michigan’s August 4 primary, Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate campaign just gained an unusually high-profile backer—Jewish Voice for Peace Action, the political arm of a Jewish anti-Zionist group known for staging sit-ins to protest genocide in the halls of power.
The endorsement marks Jewish Voice for Peace Action’s first-ever push for a U.S. Senate candidate. It is also a bet that momentum from Democratic insurgents in recent primaries—voters repeatedly choosing outspoken pro-Palestine candidates to represent the party in November—can be translated into statewide politics.
“Abdul has been a stalwart and unapologetic defender of Palestinian rights and freedom. and his campaign has demonstrated a moral consistency that centers justice and equality for all people. ” said Beth Miller. JVP Action’s political director. “This campaign is a historic opportunity to bring a leader into office who will fight for our communities here at home. and to reimagine a US foreign policy that supports freedom and justice. not genocide and apartheid.”.
El-Sayed is now locked in a contentious three-way race for the Democratic nomination with Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow. Stevens is backed by the Democratic establishment and the pro-Israel lobby. including its flagship warhawk lobby group. the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. McMorrow, who presents herself as progressive, has drawn endorsements from figures including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., as well as the liberal pro-Israel group J Street.
The endorsement also sharpens the contrast on Israel policy that has become central to the contest. El-Sayed has positioned himself to the left of both opponents and has been a vocal critic of Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza since long before his campaign began. The scrutiny is intense, and it has landed on a single flashpoint involving his outreach to a controversial figure.
In the spring. moderate Democrats criticized El-Sayed’s decision to invite influential streamer and political commentator Hasan Piker to a pair of campaign rallies at Michigan universities. They argued it was insensitive to the Jewish community after a horrific March shooting at a Michigan synagogue.
McMorrow—whose husband and daughter are Jewish—compared Piker to the far-right, neo-Nazi podcaster Nick Fuentes in an interview with Jewish Insider, and she repeatedly said it was insensitive for El-Sayed to stump with Piker after the synagogue attack on CNN last week.
“I believe in freedom of speech. ” she told CNN. “but we have a very diverse population here in Michigan — we have the largest Arab American population in the country. alongside a very significant Jewish population. We need to keep everyone together, not just to win, but to govern and represent this state appropriately.”.
El-Sayed has condemned the synagogue attack and said he is decrying the use of antisemitic violence as a cudgel to deflect criticism of Israel’s violence against Palestinians. “He knows our community intimately and cares for it. ” Miller said. pointing to El-Sayed’s upbringing near the Jewish community in Michigan. including attending bar and bat mitzvahs and Seders and spending time at shul.
Miller also argued that the political fight is trying to isolate Palestinian suffering from broader progressive agendas. “Many candidates. many in the establishment of both parties. treat Palestinian safety. treat Jewish safety like political footballs that they can use to divide our communities in order to score political points. ” she said. “What I have seen from Dr. El-Sayed, he is not going to play into bad faith smears and attacks.”.
JVP Action’s backing comes with a broader political story of its own. Miller said the group’s political advocacy and lobbying arm has helped draw public attention to the genocide in Gaza by organizing a wave of anti-genocide demonstrations across the U.S. from college campuses to Wall Street and the Capitol. JVP Action is also a main backer of the Block the Bombs bill in the House. which has become a litmus test for progressive candidates in congressional races.
“There is a marked shift in the way that movements, organizations and voters are showing up to send a very clear message: that Palestine cannot be removed from a broader progressive agenda,” Miller said.
It can be harder to elevate a more radical candidate to the Senate. where statewide elections are required. than in deep-blue congressional districts with progressive electorates. But Miller said El-Sayed stood out for JVP Action because. in the seven years since the group’s 2019 establishment. it had never seen a Senate candidate that seemed worth its endorsement.
El-Sayed’s support is not limited to JVP Action. He has the endorsements of Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., along with progressive Squad members in Congress, including Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania.
His platform concentrates heavily on affordability: he is championing Medicare for All. backing a tax on billionaires. and pushing labor protections against the AI industry replacing jobs. Still. the Israel dimension is where the race has turned most volatile. particularly as voters weigh personal identity. community safety. and questions about whether the Democratic Party can hold competing moral commitments without splitting voters apart.
That tension is visible in how voters describe the stakes. The campaign’s critics point to the risk of alienating Jewish voters after the synagogue attack. Yet El-Sayed’s supporters frame the debate as inseparable from human consequences for Palestinians.
The latest polling keeps the race tight while suggesting the endorsement could matter. In polls over the past several months. El-Sayed has consistently led Stevens and McMorrow. though margins remain slim in the three-way contest. One recent poll by Zenith Research showed El-Sayed outperforming his Democratic opponents in a November general against the likely Republican nominee. Mike Rogers. with the difference tied largely to El-Sayed’s popularity among progressive and younger voters.
The June poll also found that 46 percent of Michigan voters support ending all U.S. weapons shipments to Israel, matching El-Sayed’s campaign position. McMorrow says she supports blocking offensive weapons shipments, leaving room for so-called “defensive” systems like the Iron Dome. Stevens supports continuing the unconditional flow of arms to Israel.
El-Sayed said JVP Action’s support underscores the same moral through-line he has tried to tie together throughout the campaign. “At a time when too many have tried to pit communities against one another. ” El-Sayed said in a statement. “JVP Action has shown that standing against antisemitism and standing up for the lives and dignity of Palestinians are rooted in the same commitment to our shared humanity. I’m deeply humbled and energized by their support and the movement they’ve built.”.
For JVP Action. the decision is not just an endorsement of a candidate; it is a calculation that the political fight over Gaza and Israel can travel from demonstrations. primaries. and congressional races into a Senate race—where geography and voter turnout change what’s possible. and where every controversy tends to arrive days. not months. before voters go to the polls.
Abdul El-Sayed Michigan Senate Jewish Voice for Peace Action JVP Action Haley Stevens Mallory McMorrow Hasan Piker synagogue shooting Block the Bombs Medicare for All U.S. weapons shipments to Israel Iron Dome Bernie Sanders Chris Van Hollen