El-Sayed, Moss stress opposition to Rogers amid dispute over Piker comments

U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, speaking at a “Hate Has No Home in Michigan” event at a Dearborn church Tuesday, would not say whether he wants state Sen. Jeremy Moss’ endorsement amid concerns about Jewish support for El-Sayed’s Senate campaign and backlash over controversial statements from an El-Sayed ally about the possibility of violence against members of the Jewish community who vocally support Israel.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat that we have our disagreements, especially when it comes to foreign policy and the best use of our tax dollars, and the plurality of Michigan Democratic Primary voters nominated me to be the Democratic nominee,” El-Sayed said when asked by Michigan Advance whether he wanted Moss’ endorsement.

El-Sayed’s statement came after Moss, the Democratic nominee for Michigan’s 11th Congressional District, condemned comments made by El-Sayed ally and Twitch streamer Hasan Piker about the possibility of violence against Jews who vocally support Israel. Piker campaigned with El-Sayed in Michigan and was present at his primary victory party.

During an Aug. 20 stream, while showing an image of Moss, Piker said “If pro-Israel Jews keep putting this idea out there that they’re singularly invested in Israel, eventually somebody’s going to come around and take action, not against the State of Israel but against American Jews.”

In a statement on X, Moss said that Jews “won’t be gaslit that we’re responsible for the antisemitic harm upon us. The attempted murder of Jewish children in West Bloomfield has no justification,” referencing the March 12, 2026 attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township. 

The attack was carried out by a Lebanese-born U.S. citizen of Dearborn Heights who authorities say was “motivated and inspired” by the Hezbollah terrorist group’s militant ideology and followed ongoing military strikes on Lebanon by Israel.

While Moss has not endorsed El-Sayed, he has also not criticized him directly as has U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids), who told POLITICO she would not, “campaign with someone who continues to associate with Hasan Piker,” noting that El-Sayed “had a prime opportunity to cut ties with Piker and directly disavow his words, but he did not. There is a lot of work left to do to unite the party.”

Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-White Lake), the GOP candidate for U.S. Senate, has also used El-Sayed’s connection to Piker as political fodder — even calling him El-Sayed’s “running mate” at the state Republican Party’s nominating convention on Saturday. 

In a Tuesday statement about Piker’s comments regarding Moss, El-Sayed said “I believe all Americans deserve the right to advocate for what they believe without the fear of violence … But I want to be crystal clear, nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople.”

Tuesday’s event was held at Christ Episcopal & Mother of the Savior Church in Dearborn to address “the recent rise in hateful rhetoric targeting Michigan communities,” including a Christian nationalist rally held in Dearborn last week, organized in part by a member of Rogers’ Faith Coalition Leadership Team. Following the rally, flyers promoting recruitment for the Ku Klux Klan were also found on residential streets in nearby Dearborn Heights and Melvindale.

El-Sayed was joined by several fellow Democrats, including Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, the Democratic nominee for secretary of state, and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit, the Democratic nominee for attorney general, as well as Christian, Muslim and Jewish faith leaders. Speakers not only condemned hateful actions but also emphasized the community’s strength.

“This is also the place where the assembly line was built. 
Where people came together despite differences, building a thing together. That is the best metaphor for America. People coming together to build a thing together,” El-Sayed said.

El-Sayed also said that while he and Moss will continue their dialogue on the issue of U.S. policy toward Israel, they are aligned in wanting to make sure that Rogers doesn’t win in November.

“I think all of us agree that the things that divide us are so much smaller than the things that unite us against somebody like Mike Rogers,” El-Sayed said. “Don’t forget that Mike Rogers questioned the outcome of his 2024 election against a Jewish American Senate candidate, and now-U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin. Don’t forget that Donald Trump, the chief surrogate for Mike Rogers, wined and dined Nick Fuentes. Don’t forget that we deserve union rights and guaranteed healthcare and opportunity for schools. Those are all things that Jeremy and I agree on.”

That viewpoint was also reflected by Moss in the statement he posted on X.

“As a Democrat and a believer in our Constitution, I will never agree with Mike Rogers’ dangerous election denial, backing of ICE’s cruelty, and obedience to Donald Trump and his future court picks that will erode our rights. Let me be clear: I’m not supporting Rogers,” Moss said.