Rogers’ campaign launched a “Democrats for Mike Rogers” coalition, seeking to highlight Democratic voters who say they cannot support El-Sayed.
By Corey Walker, The Algemeiner
Rabbi Asher Lopatin, an Orthodox rabbi in Michigan, announced this week that he will support Republican US Senate candidate Mike Rogers in the upcoming November election, citing Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s positions on Israel and his relationship with figures accused of antisemitism.
The move comes as several Jewish leaders in the Wolverine State who typically vote for Democrats consider backing Rogers and urge others to do the same due to alarm over El-Sayed.
Lopatin, who serves as director of community relations at the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, typically votes Democratic.
However, he said he will cross party lines to vote for Rogers after El-Sayed narrowly won the Democratic primary earlier this month.
“I’m going to vote for Mike Rogers,” Lopatin said, while stressing that he was speaking in his personal capacity and not on behalf of the federation.
“I have concerns, but I have to do whatever I can to make sure this candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, does not win,” he added.
Lopatin’s decision reflects a growing debate among Michigan Jewish Democrats over whether their traditional support for the Democratic Party can withstand concerns about El-Sayed, a progressive former Detroit health director whose campaign has made fierce criticism of Israel a central issue.
El-Sayed defeated US Rep. Haley Stevens by about one percentage point in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary, setting up a November matchup with Rogers, a former congressman and the Republican nominee.
Lopatin said he understands why many Democrats remain focused on maintaining control of the Senate and opposing President Donald Trump’s administration.
“I’m sympathetic” to Democrats, he said, but added that “someone like Abdul El-Sayed is unacceptable.”
The rabbi also criticized US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who is Jewish, for endorsing El-Sayed despite the candidate’s positions on Israel.
El-Sayed, a Detroit-born physician, quickly established himself as the most anti-Israel candidate in the primary competition.
He has called for the elimination of US military support for Israel, accused Israel of genocide and apartheid, called it a “rogue state,” and argued that its government and the Hamas terrorist organization are both “evil.”
The candidate has also questioned US support for Israel remaining a Jewish state, stating that there is no interpretation of a Jewish state that can be compatible with liberal values.
He further sparked anger by asserting that the only reason a Democrat could support Israel is because of money, and that it is impossible for a Democrat to support Israel and believe in “human rights.”
El-Sayed sparked outrage in March after hesitating to condemn a terrorist attack at a Michigan synagogue that included an attempted mass killing of Jewish children.
According to reports, he expressed concern in private meetings that condemning the attack would offend potential voters sympathetic to Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terrorist group.
He also reportedly hesitated to comment on the US-Israeli strikes that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in late February, citing support for Khamenei among some of his prospective constituents.
El-Sayed has campaigned alongside political streamer Hasan Piker, whose past comments about Israel, Jews, and terrorism have drawn widespread condemnation.
El-Sayed has disavowed Piker’s statement that “America deserved 9/11,” but Lopatin said the Democratic candidate has not sufficiently distanced himself from Piker.
“He’s never disavowed Hasan’s antisemitism,” Lopatin said, referring to comments Piker has made about Orthodox Jews.
The Michigan Senate race could put the state’s Jewish voters in an unusual position. While Jewish voters have traditionally leaned heavily Democratic, El-Sayed’s nomination has prompted some pro-Israel Democrats to reconsider their choices in November.
Earlier this week, a group of Michigan Jewish leaders circulated an open letter urging the state’s Jewish population to support Rogers over El-Sayed in the general election.
“If El-Sayed were to win the general election in this important swing state, we fear the far-left and anti-Jewish elements in the Democratic party would become dominant, including in the imminent 2028 presidential race. We cannot allow him to become the Democratic standard-bearer or Michigan’s senator,” the letter read.
Rogers has moved aggressively to appeal to voters wary of El-Sayed. On Thursday, his campaign launched a “Democrats for Mike Rogers” coalition, seeking to highlight Democratic voters who say they cannot support El-Sayed.
Lopatin appeared at the event and reiterated that his decision represented a significant break from his usual voting pattern.
Lopatin suggested that the Michigan Senate nominee should “recognize the State of Israel as a legitimate sovereign nation and not cavort with Hasan Piker, a known antisemite.”
“There should be a long list of things that concern them about him,” Lopatin said of the Democratic Party.
The Republican campaign is betting that concerns over El-Sayed will persuade enough traditionally Democratic voters to cross party lines.
But whether that strategy can translate into meaningful support in November remains uncertain, with other reports suggesting that Rogers’ appeal to Jewish Democrats faces significant challenges.
Jews are an overwhelmingly Democratic-leaning constituency. However, growing antisemitism, combined with El-Sayed’s antipathy toward Israel, have caused some Jews to consider leaving the Democratic Party.
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