Michigan’s senate race is heating up between the two remaining candidates, as Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) launched a website aimed at dragging Abdul el Sayed’s record ahead of their first one-on-one debate on Tuesday evening.Stevens’s campaign launched a website called Abdulfacts.com, publishing what her campaign calls “the big claims, brags, and promises Abdul El-Sayed has made” and contrasting those statements to “what really happened.” The website launch comes just days after state Sen. Mallory McMorrow ditched her bid for the seat, leaving the choice for Michigan voters between the Democratic establishment-backed Stevens and the left-wing el Sayed.“Abdul tends to stretch the truth when it comes to his record. So in the spirit of transparency, we ran a fact-check on some of his loftiest claims. Take a look for yourself,” Stevens wrote on X with a link to the webpage.
Stevens points out several reportedly exaggerated claims el Sayed has made during his candidacy, including a statement saying he “eliminated $700 million in medical debt” for residents of one Michigan county, a claim several reports said he exaggerated.The website launch is the latest campaign escalation in the closely watched Michigan race, which has become the latest test of the appetite for anti-establishment, left-wing candidates against more centrist, anti-Trump candidates. Stevens is backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), while el Sayed boasts the support of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).The two candidates will face off in a debate on Tuesday night in their race for the Democratic nomination to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI). The candidates last debated in May, with McMorrow onstage as well. Stevens and el Sayed will likely spar over their stances on taking money from big-name PACs, including AIPAC, and on current Democratic leadership.“Abdul is heading into this debate focused on what he’s heard from Michiganders in every corner of this state over the last year: they’re sick and tired of the status quo,” el Sayed’s campaign spokeswoman Sophie Pollock told Politico.ABDUL EL SAYED VOWS TO TAKE ON SCHUMER AS LEFT-WING CANDIDATES GAIN MOMENTUMEl Sayed has led Stevens in recent polling, but the margin between the two has remained close. As the two candidates vie to pick up McMorrow’s supporters, whoever wins the Aug. 4 primary will take on former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in the general election. Rogers is endorsed by President Donald Trump.The Washington Examiner has reached out to el Sayed’s campaign for comment.
