Trump's anti-Muslim attacks dominate Michigan's election homestretch - POLITICO

Political calculations in Michigan’s closing Senate race have taken a sharp turn as national Republican messaging collides with one of the nation’s most politically engaged Arab American communities.

The Campaign Trail in Dearborn

DEARBORN, MICHIGAN — The rhetoric on the ground has intensified rapidly. President Donald Trump and Republican operatives have increasingly targeted El-Sayed, a Michigan-born Muslim whose parents emigrated from Egypt, labeling him a threat, a radical, and a jihadist.

That messaging is designed to consolidate base voters in the waning days of the race. Yet it has also triggered immediate fallout among local stakeholders.

Some El-Sayed supporters warn that the heavy wave of attacks risks influencing undecided voters just as ballots are being cast. At the same time, the strategy has alienated a distinct group of voters: individuals who previously worked to build a Republican coalition within Michigan’s substantial Arab American population, home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the country.

Frustration Among Former GOP Allies

For some who campaigned for Republican candidates in past cycles, the current line of attack feels like a direct betrayal. The rhetoric has driven a wedge between local organizers and the national party apparatus.

“You turned off a lot of people. Even people that were working to get Trump elected and get people to vote Republican here have flipped. We did all this work for them to turn around and use us as enemies, to be able just to win an election,” said Hassan Nehme, a GOP statehouse candidate and former Michigan Republican Party vice chair who helped lead Arab American outreach for the GOP in 2024.

Nehme remains undecided on his vote in the current Senate contest. The experience has left him questioning his ongoing alignment with the party. “It’s to the point [where] I’m like, why am I even fighting to be in this party?” he said.

As the campaign clock runs down, the tension between executing a national mobilization strategy and alienating key regional constituencies highlights the unpredictable dynamics shaping the outcome in Michigan.