Democrat Running for Senate Draws Outrage for ‘Unbelievably Tone Deaf’ 10/7 Fundraising Email
Screenshot via Abdul El-Sayed Facebook.
Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate in Michigan, sent out a fundraising email commemorating Oct. 7, 2023 that drew sharp condemnation for “completely ignoring” the Israelis killed by Hamas on that day.
El-Sayed, 40, was born and raised in the Detroit area to Egyptian immigrant parents who were both engineers, and is a former public health professor and former director of the Department of Health, Human, and Veterans Services for Wayne County, Michigan. El-Sayed earned his medical degree from Columbia University but did not complete a residency, choosing to pursue a career in public service instead, and is therefore not a licensed physician. He’s also been a CNN contributor.
He previously ran for governor in Michigan, coming in second in the Democratic primary in 2018.
On Oct. 7, the two-year anniversary of the Hamas terror attacks on Israel, El-Sayed sent out a fundraising email, as reported by Politico’s Nicholas Wu.
The text of the email, according to the screenshot posted by Wu, read (emphasis in original):
Two years ago this month, Netanyahu’s military launched a ground invasion of Gaza.
Since then, the world has watched tragedy unfold in real time.
At least 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 18,500 children.
Nearly every home in Gaza has either been destroyed or damaged.
It is unconscionable. It is wrong.
Yet it has continued because politicians in both parties have chosen to send billions of our tax dollars to fund this senseless war – instead of demanding an immediate ceasefire.
And if you’re asking yourself, “Why on Earth are politicians in Washington continuing to add fuel to the fire?” the answer is money.
AIPAC is funneling millions of dollars into campaigns in exchange for loyalty. Last cycle, they spent over $100 million boosting their preferred candidates across the country.
Now, AIPAC is meddling with our race here in Michigan. I’m one of the few major Senate candidates who isn’t afraid to call what’s happening in Gaza a genocide — and because of that, l’m one of AIPAC’s top targets to defeat.
This is not just a foreign policy issue. It’s a moral test. And whether Democrats pass or fail will determine if we can build a party capable of defeating Trump and the forces of authoritarianism.
So, how do we show moral clarity and change the course? By winning races like this one.
The email marked Oct. 7, 2023 as the day that “[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s military launched a ground invasion of Gaza,” which El-Sayed described as “unconscionable,” “wrong,” and a “tragedy.” There was no mention of the Israelis, including many women, children, elderly, and other civilians who were raped, tortured, or murdered that day — the events that triggered Israel’s invasion.
Wu’s post about the email drew pointed criticism for being “unbelievably tone deaf,” mostly for El-Sayed’s omission of the Israeli victims of Oct. 7. A few mentioned Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who is competing with El-Sayed in the Democratic primary for Michigan’s U.S. Senate seat, or a statement from New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani that garnered similar condemnation.
A sampling of tweets is below.
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