Democrat Fiancé of Haley Stevens Votes for GOP Senate Candidate
Fiancé of Rep. Haley Stevens crosses party lines to support Mike Rogers over El-Sayed’s rhetoric.
2 min read
A close ally of Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), Jason Turkish, is crossing party lines to support Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers in Michigan’s contentious race, citing concerns over the Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s rhetoric toward Jews and Israel.
Concerns Over Antisemitic Rhetoric
Turkish, a lifelong Democrat and Jewish community member, told The Detroit News that he could no longer support El-Sayed due to what he described as the candidate’s reckless and dangerous rhetoric toward Jews and Israel.
“We have never seen a candidate for U.S. Senate act so recklessly toward the safety of Jews in the community as we have seen from Abdul,” Turkish said. “Every time he talks about genocide, Jews get death threats,” he added, expressing fear for the community’s safety.
Attending GOP Campaign Event
Turkish, who proposed to Stevens in August, attended a Rogers campaign event hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition. The event, titled “Who Will Keep Us Safe? Rogers vs. El-Sayed,” also featured Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
El-Sayed, when asked about Turkish’s decision, acknowledged it as a personal choice. “If folks see another issue that is more important to them and decide that their disagreement with me on that is bigger than their disagreement with me on all these other things, that is their choice,” he said.
More Democrats Defect to GOP
Turkish is not alone in his decision. David Kramer, former campaign chair for Stevens, also announced he would vote for Rogers, citing concerns over El-Sayed’s commitment to Jewish safety.
“I have lots of issues with Mike Rogers, and I’m not even willing to use words like ‘support,’” Kramer said. “But I’ve made peace with voting for him because I do think that he at least does care about Jews being safe and participating in public life.”
As the Senate race heats up, the defection of key Democrats to the GOP highlights the deepening divisions within the party over issues of national security and foreign policy.
Source: Daily Wire
