Bernie Sanders Accuses Some Democrats of Wanting Abdul El-Sayed to Lose

<p>Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., accused a group of Democratic leaders and donors on Monday of being willing to see Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed lose. In comments to "Politico Playbook," Sanders stated that progressives pose a threat to wealthy interests and the party's approach to Israel, as El-Sayed faces scrutiny over his ties to streamer Hasan Piker.</p><p>Sanders indicated that the resistance comes from individuals at the top of the Democratic Party and its financial base. "You’re talking about a small number of people who are at the head of the Democratic Party. You’re talking about the donor class... Are they less than enthusiastic about Abdul? Yes, they are," he said.</p><p>Democratic strategist and former Biden White House chief of staff Yemisi Egbewole responded to Sanders' comments, emphasizing the party's need to maintain a Senate majority and El-Sayed's responsibility to unify Democrats after narrowly defeating Rep. Haley Stevens in the primary. "Dems want a majority in the Senate. El-Sayed apologized for his comments about the Temple Israel attack and hasn’t campaigned with Hasan. No one is as caught up in this oligarchy business as Sanders is. Stevens lost. She endorsed Abdul. It’s now his job to win those voters," Egbewole stated.</p><p>RNC national press secretary Natalie Baldassarre criticized Sanders’ defense of El-Sayed, arguing that the Michigan Democrat’s record and associations render him unfit for the Senate. "Abdul El-Sayed is a terrorist bootlicker who downplayed 9/11, pals around with a radical streamer who thinks our country deserved it, and whose mother worked for an organization that funneled money to Osama bin Laden to orchestrate it," she said. "His presence in the Senate would absolutely pose a national security threat, and it's no surprise that Democrats are losing their minds at Bernie for propping up another unelectable extremist."</p><p>Sanders, who supported El-Sayed throughout the primary, remarked that some Democrats view candidates like El-Sayed as challenges not only to wealthy political interests but also to U.S. policy toward Israel. He stated that those Democrats consider El-Sayed and similar progressives as "a threat to oligarchy" and a "threat to American foreign policy and our continued support for the extremist Netanyahu government in Israel."</p><p>The exchange occurred as El-Sayed attempted to address renewed questions about Piker, who campaigned with him during the Democratic primary. Piker faced widespread condemnation from Democrats this month following remarks about American Jews and Israel, with critics including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senators Cory Booker, D-N.J., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.</p><p>Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed for comment but did not receive an immediate response.</p><p>Sanders opted not to join those Democrats focusing on Piker, instead dismissing the controversies surrounding the streamer while accusing Republicans and the media of distracting voters from economic issues. "Like every other podcaster in the world, he says dumb things that people should reject," Sanders said.</p><p>El-Sayed similarly resisted repeated questions about Piker at the Michigan Democratic Party convention, where he was pressed by four reporters. "We’re in the state of Michigan. If you want to make this race about a streamer in California, I just think you’re missing the boat. This is about affordability in Michigan. This is about seeing a doctor in Michigan. This is about Donald Trump’s disastrous policies in Michigan. That’s what I’m focused on right now," El-Sayed stated.</p><p>El-Sayed also apologized for remarks he made following the March terrorist attack on a Michigan synagogue, stating, "To anybody who feels like my comments may have been hurtful, I’m really sorry. That was not my intention. We condemned that terrorist attack. We condemned it outright."</p><p>An August Fox News poll indicated that Republican nominee Mike Rogers was leading El-Sayed 51%-47%, within the margin of sampling error, while a subsequent AARP survey showed the candidates in a close contest. The Fox polling found that 91% of Democrats supported El-Sayed, compared to 96% of Republicans supporting Rogers.</p><p>Sanders urged El-Sayed to keep his campaign focused on economic issues rather than controversies surrounding Piker. "Stay on the issues that impact working families in Michigan," Sanders said. "Do that, you’re going to win — and I think he will."</p>