Haley Stevens says Jewish voters need ‘to make a personal and private decision’ in Michigan Senate race
In an interview with CNN, she underscored her pro-Israel bona fides, saying she is a ‘Zionist Democrat in Michigan’
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), candidate for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, holds a rally with Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) on August 2, 2026 in Madison Heights, Michigan (Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
By
Haley Cohen
August 7, 2026
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In her first cable news interview since her Senate primary loss on Wednesday morning, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) told CNN that Jewish voters who are concerned about Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s hostility towards Israel are “going to have to make a personal and private decision” as to who to support in November.
Stevens also told CNN on Friday that she is a “Zionist Democrat in Michigan.”
In her first cable news interview since her Senate primary loss, Haley Stevens told CNN she is "a Zionist Democrat in Michigan" and suggested voters concerned about El-Sayed’s stance on Israel "need to make a personal and private decision” as to who to support in November. pic.twitter.com/ub9OVJAoey
— Jewish Insider (@jewishinsider) August 7, 2026
Just before he was declared the winner in the Democratic primary for the pivotal Michigan Senate race, El-Sayed doubled down on his criticism of Israel on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe,” calling the Jewish state “bloodthirsty” and saying his critiques go beyond the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
El-Sayed, who made his opposition to AIPAC a central part of his campaign message, sought to ease tensions with skeptical Jewish voters after winning the nomination, addressing what he called “an issue that has been focused on in this race.”
“To all of my sisters and brothers of the Jewish faith,” he said in his televised remarks, “I want you to know that my commitment to your safety, my commitment to Jewish safety, is the same commitment that I have to the safety of my own daughters.” He also spoke about his experience going to a seder during the campaign, where in an awkward turn of phrase, said he was able to “break bread” with his Jewish friends.
On Friday, Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers argued that the “vast majority of people” rejecting El-Sayed — whose bid he framed as a “campaign filled with anger, divisiveness, calls for violence and the views that are out of touch with your values”— have “a home with us.”
https://jewishinsider.com/2026/08/haley-stevens-says-jewish-voters-need-to-make-a-personal-and-private-decision-in-michigan-senate-race/