LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has another political association to explain – or, at the very least, a new decision to make about whether that support should continue.

Cross-endorsement comes back to bite.

Just weeks ago, El-Sayed and 7th Congressional District progressive candidate William Lawrence publicly cross-endorsed each other. Now Lawrence, a white guy and fierce Israel critic, is facing backlash over comments he reportedly made about former VP Kamala Harris and Black Democrats, putting El-Sayed in an uncomfortable position: condemn the remarks and revoke his endorsement, or remain silent and keep the political alliance intact.

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According to a report from far-left HuffPost, Lawrence previously argued in 2020 that prominent Black Democratic leaders are “a pillar, frankly, for establishment, capitalist, imperialist American power.” The comments come from his podcast “Hegemonicon” where he interviewed a Black anti-war organizer and spoke about Democratic leaders’ support for U.S. aid to Israel amid the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Lawrence also criticized then-vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, saying she had a “terrible record” and arguing that Joe Biden’s selection of Harris as his running mate was an example of the Democratic establishment elevating Black leaders in a way that helped “defang the white left” and blunt criticism from progressives.

El-Sayed faces calls to condemn Lawrence.

So far, according to a statement from the Michigan Republican Party, El-Sayed has chosen to be silent on the matter and hasn’t come out to condemn Lawrence’s statements. The Michigan GOP also questions whether El-Sayed will disinvite him from the “communist shindig” going on in Lansing this weekend with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) of New York.

Michigan Republican Party Senior Communications Advisor Greg Manz said about the situation, ”This isn’t complicated. If Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed rejects William Lawrence’s rhetoric, he should condemn it and revoke his endorsement today. Instead of demonstrating intestinal fortitude, he’s sweeping the issue under the rug and pretending it never happened. Michigan voters deserve better than calculated silence.”

Scholten has no problem speaking up.

Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Hillary Scholten, on the other hand, hasn’t been silent about the matter, saying, “The people of Michigan’s Seventh District deserve a representative who respects those contributions (Black leaders) and is focused on bringing people together to solve problems for Michigan families – not tearing down the leaders whose advocacy has helped move our country forward.”

The non-apology apology.

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Lawrence put out a statement after the podcast was reported on, where instead of apologizing, he said he wanted to address and clarify his past statements.

In his 350-word X post, he said his words were taken out of context and were being “weaponized” by his political opponents. He went on to say that the podcast discussion focused on anti-war organizing within the Black community and criticism of elected leaders who support U.S. military intervention.

Lawrence acknowledged that his wording was “clumsy” and he said he regretted his choice of words, while insisting the comments as reported did not reflect his beliefs.

In his post, he also praised Black Americans’ historic role in advancing freedom and justice and said his criticism was ultimately aimed at elected leaders of all races who support what he considers unnecessary wars.

El-Sayed’s political associations keep drawing scrutiny.

For El-Sayed, the Lawrence controversy is the latest entry in a growing guilt-by-association file. He has also faced scrutiny over his ties to Hasan Piker, whose own controversial rhetoric has drawn attention during the Senate campaign.

Now, with Lawrence’s resurfaced comments added to the mix, Republicans are seeking to turn El- Sayed’s political relationships into a broader question about his judgment. The question is how many controversial allies can pile up before the scrutiny shifts from those associations themselves to El- Sayed’s willingness to maintain them – and “guilt by association” becomes a campaign issue all its own.