Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has asked fellow Democrat Haley Stevens to stay away from his campaign events as tensions between the former rivals threaten party unity ahead of the midterm elections.
According to The Guardian, El-Sayed, who defeated Stevens in the Democratic primary in August, said he wanted to avoid further disagreements during his closely contested race against Republican Mike Rogers.
“I don’t want any distractions. It seems as though other folks are more interested in making this race about things that it’s not about,” El-Sayed told reporters.
The two politicians had planned to attend a church service together in Detroit on Sunday.
However, Democratic Representative Debbie Dingell reportedly advised Stevens against appearing alongside El-Sayed.
Their dispute intensified after Stevens demanded that El-Sayed condemn a political advertisement linking rising prices to US support for Israel’s war in Gaza.
El-Sayed responded by accusing Stevens of continuing their primary election rivalry.
“Congresswoman Stevens seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago,” he said in a statement.
Stevens endorsed El-Sayed after losing the primary but has continued to criticise him publicly. Her fiancé has also campaigned for Rogers.
The disagreement has raised concerns among Michigan Democrats, who view the Senate contest as crucial to their efforts to regain control of Congress’s upper chamber.
