GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – If Michiganders were hoping for a polite policy discussion Tuesday night between two Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidates, they got something much closer to a family food fight – but with smiles as they looked towards the cameras.
During the WOOD TV8 debate in Grand Rapids Tuesday evening, July 7, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens cast herself as the experienced “workhorse” while portraying former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed as a political “showhorse.”
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El-Sayed, meanwhile, hammered Stevens over and over and over again with one central accusation: that too much outside money, particularly from AIPAC and other political action committees (PACs), has bought influence in the race – and in American politics more broadly.
What is AIPAC?
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is one of the most influential pro-Israel lobbying organizations in the United States. The bipartisan group advocates for strong U.S.-Israel relations and works to educate lawmakers and the public on issues affecting Israel’s security and the U.S.-Israel alliance. The organization has long been a major force in Washington, drawing both praise from supporters who view it as an important advocate for a key U.S. ally and criticism from opponents like El-Sayed who argue it wields outsized influence over American foreign policy by buying off candidates.
The polling picture.
With recent polling showing El-Sayed leading the Democratic field after Sen. Mallory McMorrow suspended her campaign, neither candidate on stage appeared interested in playing nice and holding back criticism of their opponent. Mitchell Research and Quantus Insights polls released before McMorrow exited found El-Sayed leading Stevens by roughly six to nine points, McMorrow was stuck in single digits and 16 to 19% of Democratic voters were still undecided. It’s those “undecideds” that the candidates were trying to reach during the debate.
Money, money, money… and then some more money.
If there was one word that dominated El-Sayed’s debate performance, it was the word “money.” Throughout the debate, he repeatedly returned to the same theme: corporations, billionaires, AIPAC, AI companies and outside groups are corrupting politics.
He argued Stevens had benefited from roughly $40 million in outside spending, repeatedly accusing her of being “bought off” by AIPAC and corporate interests while insisting he had never taken corporate PAC money.
Virtually every major topic somehow circled back to money and campaign financing.
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Iran? AIPAC.
Gaza? Blank checks were being sent to Israel for “genocide.”
Artificial intelligence? AI companies are buying politicians.
Data centers? Corporate money.
The national debt? Special interests.
Even when moderators asked about unrelated issues, El-Sayed frequently steered the discussion back toward outside spending and corporate influence. His closing message summed up his strategy for the night in one line in his closing remarks when he said, “It’s the money versus the many.”
Stevens: Where are the tax returns?
Stevens had her own recurring refrain during the hour-long debate. While El-Sayed questioned her donors, Stevens repeatedly questioned his transparency, reminding viewers that she had released her tax returns while saying El-Sayed had not.
She challenged him directly, saying, “You talk about getting money out of politics and putting money in people’s pockets, but who is putting money in yours? What are you hiding?”
“Workhorse” vs. “Showhorse.”
Stevens also tried to frame the race as accomplishment versus performance. Early in the debate she declared: “We do not need a celebrity senator. We need a workhorse.”
Later, she sharpened the contrast, saying Michigan needed someone “that has the record… that is not a showhorse,” adding that she wasn’t trying “to go viral” but was focused on delivering results.
Trump wasn’t exactly popular either.
Although both candidates were mostly focused on each other, they each found time to criticize President Donald Trump. Stevens blamed Trump for higher costs, his handling of Iran, ICE, Social Security problems, and what she described as abuses of power.
Although El-Sayed was adamant that Trump’s “completely out of control” ICE needs to be abolished, he criticized the president from a different angle, arguing Trump represented politics controlled by wealthy interests and special interests. He also claimed that both Trump and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer would prefer someone other than him in the Senate because he threatens “politics as usual.”
The “stink” line.
One of El-Sayed’s sharpest attacks came when he was once again discussing Israel and outside spending. Referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public criticism of Stevens, El- Sayed argued Netanyahu wasn’t really attacking her but was trying to “steer away the stink” surrounding her positions to make her appear more independent of Israel. Then he challenged her to explain what she had “given away” for AIPAC’s backing.
GOP responds to debate.
After the debate, Greg Manz, Senior Communications Advisor for the Michigan GOP said in a statement, “Tonight’s debate made one thing crystal clear: Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, a terrorist sympathizer and phony physician, is the face of the far-left takeover of the Democrat Party. He embraces a radical, Marxist agenda that includes Medicare for All, abolishing ICE, and calls to irresponsibly defund the police.”
Manz went on to say, “Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed is completely out of step with Michigan’s working families. This year’s election is a choice between crazy and common sense, and Michiganders deserve leadership that puts public safety, economic opportunity, and hardworking taxpayers first.”
While the Michigan GOP focused its fire on El-Sayed, the Republican National Committee (RNC) also took aim at Stevens, arguing she has her own credibility problem after years of supporting policies Republicans say threaten Michigan’s auto industry and raise costs for families. The RNC pointed to her support for EV mandates and regulations, as well as her vote for what Republicans call the largest tax hike in American history and her opposition to eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay.
The bottom line.
Whether Democratic primary voters ultimately decide they want “workhorse” Stevens or El-Sayed’s progressive political revolution, one thing became crystal clear Wednesday night: this race is not really about who agrees on Democratic priorities. Both candidates, no matter how progressive or radical they appear to be, will almost certainly be reliable Democratic votes in the Senate, consistently advancing the party’s agenda. The contest appears to be less about ideology and more about personality, political style, and which candidate Democrats believe gives them the best chance to win in November.
