El-Sayed Campaign Denies Ties to Ad Blaming Israel for Grocery Prices

Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign denied any affiliation with an advertisement linking Americans’ grocery bills to U.S. support for Israel. The Michigan Democratic Senate nominee’s campaign issued the denial in emailed statements reported on Monday evening, after Cenk Uygur circulated a Rebellion PAC advertisement promoting his candidacy. Campaign spokesperson Roxie Richner said, “No one speaks for Abdul but himself and his campaign.” The campaign said it had not authorized the advertisement. It described its own economic message as opposition to Trump administration policies that it blamed for higher prices in Michigan. That denial of affiliation did not amount to a rejection of the advertisement’s argument: the campaign did not answer a follow-up question asking for El-Sayed’s position on its substance. The advertisement depicts people discussing difficulty affording groceries and connects their financial pressure to American support for Israel. Its ending attacks Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers and promotes El-Sayed. Much of the footage came from Uygur’s 2024 presidential campaign, with the Michigan Senate message added later. The ad includes images of Benjamin Netanyahu, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Kara Eastman, speaking for Rebellion PAC, defended the message as criticism of funding a foreign government. Stacie Chaiken of Michigan Jews for Democracy, a group supporting El-Sayed, criticized the advertisement as politically harmful. The campaign’s response addressed who authorized the message while leaving its view of the underlying accusation unanswered.