Jason Turkish to vote for Mike Rogers over Abdul El-Sayed

Jason Turkish to vote for Mike Rogers over Abdul El-Sayed

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Jason Turkish, the Democratic fiancé of former Senate hopeful Haley Stevens, has announced he will vote for Republican Mike Rogers in the upcoming U.S. Senate election. Turkish, a Jewish disabilities and civil rights attorney, cited concerns over antisemitism and the rhetoric of the Democratic nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, as the primary drivers for his decision, as reported by The Detroit News.

This split within the inner circle of a prominent Democratic figure comes just days before the November 3 election. While Turkish is backing the GOP candidate, Stevens has maintained her official support for El-Sayed, the man who narrowly defeated her in the August 4 Democratic primary. The situation creates a visible fracture in a high-stakes race where the control of the U.S. Senate is on the line.

The Breaking Point Over Israel and Safety

For Turkish, the decision wasn’t a sudden whim but the result of a three-month observation of El-Sayed’s conduct following the primary. A longtime critic of the Israeli government, El-Sayed has faced accusations that his language crosses the line from political critique to dangerous rhetoric. Turkish told The Detroit News that every time El-Sayed discusses genocide in Gaza, Jewish individuals receive death threats, arguing that the candidate has acted recklessly toward the safety of the Jewish community.

Turkish pointed to El-Sayed’s assertion that Israel is not a U.S. ally and his refusal during a debate to specify whether Iran or Israel poses a greater threat to the United States. Turkish also expressed disappointment over El-Sayed's response to a viral social media ad—produced by the outside group Rebellion PAC—which critics claim uses an antisemitic trope by blaming Jews for cost-of-living increases in grocery stores.

“I’ve just seen an escalation in his rhetoric since the primary, and it makes folks unsafe. Every time he talks about genocide (in Gaza), Jews get death threats,” Turkish told The Detroit News. “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.”

El-Sayed has distanced himself from the Rebellion PAC commercial but has not explicitly disavowed its message or called for its removal. He has also maintained ties with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, who has faced his own accusations of antisemitism, though El-Sayed has not campaigned with Piker since August.

SENATE TWIST: Fiancé of El-Sayed's Democratic primary rival says he's voting for Mike Rogers

A House Divided in the Stevens Camp

On CNN, Stevens described her situation as a “house divided,” reaffirming that she wants El-Sayed to win because of the stakes involved in the general election. However, her support appears strained. In a recent interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Stevens gave a tepid response when asked if she was fully behind El-Sayed, noting, “I can’t say that I agree with everything that’s gone on.”

Stevens has urged El-Sayed to “do the right thing” by denouncing two specific ads: one featuring Tucker Carlson and another from an outside group targeting Mike Rogers’ support for Israel. She suggested that undecided voters would be reassured if the Democratic nominee took a firmer stand against such content.

El sayed and rogers

Turkish is not the only person in Stevens’ orbit to defect. David Kramer, Stevens’ former campaign chair, informed Jewish Insider on October 27 that he also intends to vote for Rogers.

Turkish Prioritizes Jewish Community Safety over Policy

Turkish is a significant political donor; while he gave nearly $200,000 to federal Democratic candidates and committees this cycle, FEC records show he has previously donated over $24,000 to committees allied with GOP Susan Collins of Maine.

Turkish acknowledges the risk of his vote. As a civil rights attorney, he expressed concern that a Rogers victory could make it easier for President Donald Trump to appoint judicial nominees. Yet, he concluded that the immediate safety and dignity of the Jewish community outweighed his policy disagreements with the Republican platform.

The counter-argument comes from El-Sayed’s camp. His spokeswoman, Roxie Richner, emphasized that the Democratic “tent is big enough” for everyone and that the primary focus remains on building a broad coalition to win back the Senate majority. El-Sayed himself told CBS News that democracy allows for different opinions, framing the election as a necessary check on Donald Trump’s efforts to impact voting rights, union rights, and healthcare.

Us president donald trump welcomes turkish president recep tayyip erdogan at the white house in washington on september by yu

Turkish Views El-Sayed as Talented but Unwilling

There is a history between the two men; Turkish and El-Sayed graduated from the University of Michigan together. Turkish recalled being in the audience for El-Sayed’s commencement address, which was praised by Bill Clinton. He does not dispute El-Sayed’s capability, calling him a talented politician and an eloquent speaker.

The tragedy, in Turkish’s view, is not a lack of skill, but a lack of will. He believes El-Sayed knows how to bring people together but has simply chosen not to do so. As the November 3 election approaches, the race remains tight, with the Detroit News-WDIV poll showing El-Sayed leading Rogers in the final days, even as his own party’s inner circles fracture.

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