Michigan Democrat takes heat for Khamenei remark; California governor race heats up
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed draws criticism for downplaying the death of Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sparking debate about progressive political positioning.
Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers said his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, has "no business" running for public office after seeing a video of him discussing the importance of having empathy for terrorists.
El-Sayed, a medical doctor and former Wayne County health director, is running in the Democratic primary for Michigan's open Senate seat in the 2026 midterms. He suggested during a town hall last summer that the United States should try to understand why terrorists commit such "heinous acts," suggesting those actions stem from a place of "pain and frustration and a level of lack of agency."
"It’s a scary world we live in where Democrats now make excuses for terrorists. And even more terrifying, it’s this level of radicalism that is propelling Abdul to the front of the primary," Rogers said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"These heinous comments are no surprise after he fundraised off of October 7, refused to disavow Hasan Piker saying that 'America deserved 9/11,' and called it a 'risk' to condemn a terror attack that nearly mass murdered 140 kids in our own backyard. It’s indefensible."
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed poses for a portrait in Grand Rapids, Mich., Feb. 21, 2026. (Evan Cobb for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
In July 2025, El-Sayed held a town hall in South Haven, Michigan, where a constituent asked how he would address terrorism if elected to the Senate. The exchange was captured on video and first obtained by The Washington Free Beacon.
El-Sayed said that while the United States' current approach to terror, which leverages U.S. military might against terrorist organizations, is "necessary," he suggested leaders must also try to "understand" where terrorists are coming from.
"I also think we need to be curious about why those things happen in the first place, like, [what] drives somebody to want to commit such a heinous act," El-Sayed said. "I have to be a student of people's pain. Like, that's, that's what I did in medicine. That's what I try to do in politics. Like, what, what happens when people are in pain?"
El-Sayed said terrorism is political violence committed in "pursuit of a political end."
"There is a level of pain and frustration and a level of lack of agency that they have to feel to do something so insane and absurd, right?" El-Sayed said.
DEMOCRATS TEAM UP WITH FAR-LEFT STREAMER WHO ONCE SAID ‘AMERICA DESERVED 9/11’
Abdul El Sayed, left, and Hasan Piker (Evan Cobb for The Washington Post via Getty Images; Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic)
He then said the "heinous acts" of terrorists lead him to reflect on how "we're behaving that may get somebody to think that we don't see them."
"And I think too often, the way we've engaged in the world has been that we set up this rules-based international order, and then we break the rules of the rules-based international order," El-Sayed said. "And that creates a situation where there are a lot of people who look at us and say, 'That's hypocritical, and that's wrong.'"
He said the United States should not respond in ways that don't "inflame tensions" and that, if elected to the Senate, he would bring "empathy" to U.S. conversations about and responses to terror. He accused Americans of being "high and mighty" in their current views of global conflict.
"I think that, for us, there is strength in wisdom. And there is strength in empathy. And there is strength in justice. And there's strength in consistency," El-Sayed said.
Abdul El-Sayed, a U.S. Senate candidate from Michigan, has been endorsed by Bernie Sanders and embraced comparisons between him and Zohran Mamdani. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, has been highly critical of Israel's actions during the Gaza War. He previously accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians, and he has campaigned with internet personality Hasan Piker, who has aligned himself with the terrorist group Hamas.
Piker said he would vote for Hamas, saying it is a "thousand times better" than Israel and that he would vote for Hamas over Israel "every single time."
He is running on a platform that includes Medicare for All and free education, and has received backing from Sen. Bernie Sanders.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
In the Democratic primary, El-Sayed faces competition from Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., and Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow.
Fox News Digital reached out to Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers and El-Sayed for comment.
More from Politics
Fox News Politics
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.
