NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The fiance of Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich. has come out and said he cannot vote for Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, believing him to be an anti-Semite. However, Stevens remains undaunted and endorses the Senate candidate. Jason Turkish, a registered Jewish Democrat, told The Detroit News that he will vote for Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers while appearing at a Rogers event sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition on Wednesday night at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan. “I waited and watched and listened for Abdul to moderate, but he didn’t moderate, he escalated,” Turkish, a Michigan attorney, told reporters on the sidelines of that event in a video published by The Detroit News. DODGE EL-SAYED’S STRONG ENDORSEMENT AFTER BITTER SENATE PRIMARY Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and his opponent, Republican candidate Mike Rogers. (Sarah Rice/Getty Images; Alex Wong/Getty Images) “It’s gotten worse, and worse, and worse as this general election campaign has gone on. Instead of bringing people together, it’s just driven them further and further apart.” Despite Turkish’s concerns, Stevens has not backed down from her support for the Democrat who defeated her in a close primary this summer. EL-SAYED: ‘STAY OFF THE TELEVISION’ “Like many households across America, we are a house divided,” Stevens told CNN. “I still very much want our Democratic candidate, his name is Abdul, to win this race,” he said. “There is a lot at stake.” BLACK VOTERS AND JEWISH DEMOCRATS IN MICHIGAN UNKNOWN TO VOTE FOR EL-SAYED, SAY ‘HE’S TAKING ADVANTAGE’ The Turk says El-Sayed’s anti-Israel rhetoric makes his community “less safe,” fearing his party will kowtow to radicals who claim there is a “genocide” in Gaza. “When he says genocide over and over again, when he refuses to condemning an ad that says Jews are to blame for the price of bananas makes my community less safe,” Turkish said. “It makes a lot of communities less safe.” WEAPON’S BURDEN OF GENOCIDE FUELING AN INCREASINGLY DANGEROUS ANTISEMITISM El-Sayed is a long-time critic of Israel and calls the war in Gaza “genocide.” Israel argues that it is fighting terrorists who use Gaza civilians as human shields, making efforts to avoid civilian casualties, such as notifying people and telling them to evacuate buildings before carrying out attacks. “Every time he talks about genocide, Jews receive death threats,” Turkish added. “We have never seen a candidate for the United States Senate act as recklessly toward the safety of Jews in the community as we have seen in Abdul.” September 11. “I’ve watched him in recent weeks as he’s become verbally combative with any reporter who has the gall, as he sees it, the gall to ask him about Hasan,” Turkish said. There is no explanation for the hate and I predict that Michigan will reject this.” Turkish, a Democratic donor who has also donated to some Republicans, described his decision as “putting country before party.” Stevens endorsing Rogers in recent days. His former campaign chairman, attorney David Kramer, said Tuesday that he also plans to vote for Rogers. Stevens endorsed El-Sayed after the primary, but has not campaigned or appeared publicly with him since a unity breakfast shortly after. Eric Mack is a Sunday-Thursday breaking news reporter and writer from 6 a.m. ET to 2 p.m. ET. about politics, elections, foreign affairs and government.
