Michigan Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers is sharpening his attacks on Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed over his campaign's ties to wealthy donors.
Michigan Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers is sharpening his attacks on Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed over his campaign's ties to wealthy donors and progressive commentator Hasan Piker, arguing the relationships conflict with El-Sayed's campaign against corporate and billionaire influence in politics.
El-Sayed has made getting big money out of politics one of the central themes of his campaign for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, pledging to challenge corporate influence and change the way campaigns are financed.
"The last year has been about bringing together folks around our shared goals to get money out of politics, put money back in Michiganders' pockets, and pass Medicare for All," El-Sayed said in an April campaign statement.
But the Democratic nominee is facing Republican criticism after attending a high-dollar fundraiser in California hosted by Jeffrey Soros, a film producer and nephew of billionaire Democratic donor George Soros.
Jeffrey Soros and his wife, Catharine, hosted the Sept. 28 event at their West Hollywood home along with several other prominent Democratic and entertainment industry figures, including former Obama administration officials and "Pod Save America" hosts Jon Favreau, Tommy Vietor and Ben Rhodes.
A fundraising invitation reported by Fox News listed contribution levels of up to $57,800 to the Abdul for Michigan Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee supporting El-Sayed's campaign and aligned Democratic organizations.
Rogers joined The National News Desk to argue the fundraiser raises questions about whether El-Sayed's campaign rhetoric matches his fundraising practices.
"As a former FBI agent, I can tell you I know a con man when I see one," Rogers said. "This is exactly the long con."
That characterization is Rogers' political assessment of his opponent.
El-Sayed has argued throughout his campaign that wealthy individuals and corporations exercise too much influence over American politics. His campaign says its goal is to build a political system less dependent on corporate interests and wealthy donors.
The connection between El-Sayed and the Soros family extends back well before his current political campaign, although some of the claims surrounding that relationship require context.
El-Sayed received a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans in 2012 while pursuing graduate studies. The fellowship was established by Paul and Daisy Soros, George Soros' older brother and sister-in-law, and supports immigrants and children of immigrants pursuing graduate education in the United States.
Jeffrey Soros has said he first met El-Sayed when El-Sayed was a finalist for the fellowship.
Rogers argued that the history, combined with the recent fundraiser, undermines El-Sayed's populist campaign message.
"It just tells you that he wants you to believe he's somebody that he is not," Rogers said.
Rogers also accused the Soros family of "bankrolling him since around 2012." Receiving an academic fellowship and receiving political campaign support, however, are distinct forms of financial assistance, and the fellowship was not campaign funding.
The Republican nominee contrasted El-Sayed's background with his own upbringing and early employment in Michigan.
"We're hurting here in Michigan," Rogers said. "It really is going to be important to send somebody who's honest with you."
"I started out working on an assembly line in a factory building Chrysler LeBaron convertibles," Rogers added. "I get it, and I know what those pressures are."
The interview also turned to El-Sayed's political relationship with Hasan Piker, the popular left-wing Twitch streamer who campaigned alongside him during the Democratic primary.
Piker and El-Sayed appeared together at campaign events at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University in April, drawing hundreds of younger voters. Piker subsequently endorsed El-Sayed, and the two appeared together again around the time of the Democratic primary.
Piker has generated controversy for years over inflammatory statements about the United States, Israel, terrorism and other issues.
In a recent interview, Piker was asked whether he believed America was "worse than al-Qaeda."
"Pound for pound, as far as the number of deaths, yes," Piker responded. "We've caused tremendous terror all around the world."
El-Sayed has disagreed with that comparison and, since winning the Democratic nomination, has put more distance between himself and Piker.
In August, El-Sayed said he had "no plans" to campaign with Piker during the general election. He also publicly distanced himself from comments Piker made about American Jews, while arguing that his Senate campaign should be judged on his own positions rather than those of a political streamer.
Rogers nevertheless argued El-Sayed should be held accountable for choosing to campaign with Piker in the first place.
"He brought Hasan Piker to Michigan and put him in front of our students," Rogers said.
Piker's involvement with El-Sayed has also caused tensions within the Democratic Party.
Some Michigan Democrats have criticized El-Sayed's association with Piker, particularly following Piker's comments involving American Jews and Israel. El-Sayed later campaigned alongside Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., while seeking to move the campaign beyond the controversy.
The controversy has nevertheless remained a major line of attack for Republicans, who have repeatedly sought to tie El-Sayed to Piker's most inflammatory remarks.
El-Sayed has said the attention given to Piker distracts from issues Michigan voters care about, including health care, affordability and the economy. More recent reporting indicates Piker is not campaigning with El-Sayed in the general election, while Piker himself has criticized the candidate for distancing himself.
Rogers also criticized El-Sayed over past writings involving health policy and breast cancer research.
El-Sayed, a physician and former Detroit health director, has written extensively about disparities in public health and how funding and political attention are distributed among diseases. Rogers argued some of those writings were insensitive to women diagnosed with breast cancer.
"I'm a cancer survivor myself when I was 19 years old," Rogers said. "I know all of the trials, tribulations, angst, not only just from you, but your family."
Rogers said he found El-Sayed's discussion of breast cancer funding particularly objectionable.
"This is the most asinine thing I think I have ever heard," Rogers said. "And on the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Shame on you."
El-Sayed's broader argument in writings about public health has focused on disparities in funding and attention among diseases and populations, rather than arguing that breast cancer research itself should not receive funding.
The candidates' increasingly personal attacks come as Michigan's Senate contest enters its final stretch.
El-Sayed won the Democratic nomination in August and is facing Rogers, a former congressman and former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.
The contest has highlighted stark differences between the candidates on health care, taxes, Israel, immigration and the role of government, while outside political relationships have increasingly become part of the campaign.
Rogers also used the interview to criticize what he sees as growing tolerance for extremist rhetoric in American politics.
"We had my wife and I have been working a lot on some college universities," Rogers said. "We met these two young Jewish women who have to hide their Star of David on campus because they get harassed on their way to class."
"That's just not the America I want to live in," he added.
El-Sayed has publicly condemned antisemitism and pushed back against Piker's controversial comments involving American Jews. During the campaign, he has also argued that criticism of the Israeli government should not be equated with hostility toward Jewish people.
The dispute over Piker is unlikely to disappear entirely before Election Day. A recent Guardian analysis found that Republicans have increasingly used Piker as a campaign issue against progressive Democrats, including El-Sayed, while most voters surveyed had little or no familiarity with the streamer.
Rogers argued voters should focus on the broader political associations and positions of the candidates as they make their decision.
"You need a United States senator that's going to work to consolidate folks, bring them together to try to fix real problems for people who are struggling with prices and affordability and all of that," Rogers said.
"You don't need somebody who's trying to divide and conquer."
