Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign says it has raised a record amount of money and secured high-profile liberal endorsements from figures including Jane Fonda and Bruce Springsteen as the Michigan Senate race enters its final stretch.
The left-wing former public health official has become a central figure in the midterm elections after his primary rival, Haley Stevens, switched her support Sunday to Republican candidate Mike Rogers.
Stevens has since intensified her criticism of El-Sayed, triggering an internal Democratic fight. At the same time, some of the party’s most prominent donors and supporters have rallied behind the nominee.
The Abdul for Senate campaign reported raising $2.4 million on Sunday, when Stevens appeared with Rogers at a church event and endorsed him. It was the campaign’s strongest fundraising day by a wide margin.
More than 65,000 donors contributed, giving an average of roughly $36 each. The total marked El-Sayed’s best fundraising performance since his primary victory in August.
“This record-breaking grassroots fundraising haul is a testament to the excitement that Abdul’s movement has inspired in the hearts of Michiganders—and a rejection of the status quo politics that’s left Michigan behind for far too long,” campaign spokesperson Cole Wozniak said.
El-Sayed also received a major celebrity endorsement following Stevens’ defection, with rock star Bruce Springsteen publicly backing his campaign.
“Dr. El-Sayed is a fighter for our American Constitution, he’s a fighter for our American Democracy, and he’s a fighter against the corrupt, lawless, and anti-American leadership currently in the White House. That’s why I’m in his corner 100 percent,” Springsteen wrote on social media.
Abdul El-Sayed’s (pictured) campaign says it has raised a record amount and won prominent liberal endorsements from figures including Jane Fonda and Bruce Springsteen as the race nears its conclusion
The left-wing former public health official has become a central figure in the midterm elections after primary rival Haley Stevens (pictured) shifted her support Sunday to Republican opponent Mike Rogers
Springsteen, one of the Democratic Party’s most visible supporters, has a long history of endorsing candidates across the party.
Fonda also announced her backing through her environmental political action committee, the Jane Fonda Climate PAC, while taking a swipe at Stevens.
“Unlike some people today, we are focused on taking back the Senate. Jane is proud to stand with @abdulelsayed! Let’s get money out of politics, put money back in your pocket, and pass Medicare for All,” she wrote.
Hillary Clinton, who was the party’s standard-bearer a decade ago, also voiced support for El-Sayed during several interviews Monday.
Speaking to CNN, Clinton said she was puzzled by Stevens’ decision and suggested the move could ultimately benefit El-Sayed.
“I have no idea what her thinking was. If it has any impact, I think it will end up helping Abdul,” she said.
Clinton, who endured bruising primary contests against Barack Obama in 2008 and Bernie Sanders in 2016, spoke from personal experience.
“Everybody who runs for office, who doesn’t make it is going to feel disappointed, maybe hurt, even a little angry. But you got to put that behind you and get together in order to beat what is a huge danger to our future. And that’s what should have happened here.”
El-Sayed received a high-profile boost after Stevens’ defection when rock star Bruce Springsteen (pictured) publicly endorsed him
Jane Fonda (pictured) announced her endorsement through the Jane Fonda Climate PAC and criticized Stevens in the process
The Daily Mail has contacted the El-Sayed campaign for comment on the latest endorsements.
Stevens’ dramatic reversal has fueled anger within the Democratic Party. Senior lawmakers have condemned the decision, members of her staff have resigned and President Donald Trump has celebrated her move.
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Michigan Democrat Debbie Dingell said Stevens had assured her Saturday night that she would not endorse Rogers.
The next morning, however, Stevens appeared with the Republican at Detroit’s Perfecting Church, abandoning plans to campaign alongside El-Sayed.
Asked by Anderson Cooper late Sunday what had changed overnight, Stevens replied: “I woke up this morning clear-eyed, fresh and focused on what was in my heart and that’s that.”
The CNN interview grew increasingly tense, with Stevens accusing Cooper of being upset with her.
“You’re not really answering any of my questions, so it’s somewhat frustrating,” Cooper responded.
In a lengthy post on X Monday night, the Michigan lawmaker defended her decision, accusing fellow Democrats of intolerance, criticizing El-Sayed and angrily rejecting claims that her fiancé had influenced her choice.
Hillary Clinton, who served as the party’s standard-bearer a decade ago, voiced support for El-Sayed in several interviews Monday
The statement, titled “The Decisions We Make,” followed the damaging CNN interview in which Cooper repeatedly pressed Stevens to explain her sudden change of position.
Republicans welcomed the spectacle. Trump called Stevens a “Highly Respected Democrat” and said he hoped she might eventually join the Republican Party.
Democrats, by contrast, reacted sharply.
Michigan Democratic Party chairman Curtis Hertel accused Stevens of abandoning her principles, while Dingell called the CNN exchange “one of the most painful interviews I have watched.”
Stevens’ longtime chief of staff also resigned, saying: “We are shocked and heartbroken.”
Despite the backlash, Stevens concluded her Monday statement by saying she wanted to help rebuild the same party whose Senate nominee she had just abandoned.
“There is healing to be done in Michigan, in our party, and in our country,” she wrote.
“We can build a stronger, more welcoming, more courageous Democratic Party. And I plan to help lead that effort.”
Republican candidate Mike Rogers (pictured), 63, has sought to link El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood
El-Sayed, 42, the Democratic nominee who could become America’s first Muslim senator, has emerged as a frequent target for Republicans.
Trump has attacked him repeatedly, at one point calling him a “jihadist,” while Rogers, 63, has attempted to associate him with the Muslim Brotherhood.
El-Sayed, a former public health official, has rejected the group and denied any connection to it. He has also faced criticism over his links to controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker.
The Michigan Senate contest had been rated a toss-up by the influential Cook Report, which said no state was causing Democrats more “heartburn” than Michigan.
Late Monday, however, the publication shifted its rating to “Lean D” as part of a broader forecast predicting Democratic gains of three to six Senate seats.
