Republicans must focus their campaign against Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed on his broader worldview rather than allow the contest to become a referendum on President Donald Trump, National Review senior writer Noah Rothman said during an interview with Dan Proft on Chicago’s Morning Answer.
El-Sayed, a physician and former director of the Detroit Health Department, secured the Democratic nomination with strong support from counties containing large numbers of college-educated voters. His victory represented another significant gain for the Democratic Socialists of America and the party’s progressive wing.
Rothman said El-Sayed presents a formidable challenge because he is a disciplined candidate who carefully frames his positions in language intended to appeal to mainstream voters. Unlike some progressive candidates who have been forced to retreat from controversial statements, Rothman argued, El-Sayed is skilled at presenting ideological positions without clearly articulating their most consequential implications.
The Michigan contest places El-Sayed against Republican Mike Rogers, a former FBI agent and congressman who chaired the House Intelligence Committee. Rothman described the race as a stark contrast between a relatively conventional Republican candidate and a Democrat seeking to move his party away from longstanding American foreign-policy positions.
Much of the discussion centered on El-Sayed’s opposition to American military assistance for Israel. El-Sayed has said he opposes unconditional military aid to any foreign country, including Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He argues that Michigan residents should receive greater investment in schools, health care and infrastructure instead of seeing their tax dollars directed overseas.
When asked whether that position extends to Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defense system, El-Sayed said he does not recognize a meaningful distinction between offensive and defensive weapons for the purpose of determining whether the United States should pay for them.
Rothman rejected El-Sayed’s characterization of American assistance as unconditional. He noted that aid to Israel and Egypt is connected to the security arrangements that followed the Camp David Accords and argued that El-Sayed’s position is driven less by fiscal restraint than by a desire to isolate Israel.
According to Rothman, Republicans should press El-Sayed to explain the ultimate objectives behind his foreign-policy positions. He said the Democratic nominee is likely to emphasize domestic issues such as Medicare for All, immigration enforcement and higher taxes on wealthy Americans while avoiding a sustained examination of his views about Israel and America’s role in the world.
Rothman argued that the Rogers campaign should resist those diversions and concentrate on demonstrating that El-Sayed’s priorities do not reflect those of most Michigan voters. He said Republicans could make inroads among working-class Democrats who may disagree with Trump on domestic politics but continue to view the United States as a force for good.
El-Sayed’s political associations are also likely to receive scrutiny during the general election. Proft pointed to his appearances with left-wing political commentator Hasan Piker, who has faced criticism for inflammatory statements about the United States and Israel. Rothman said distancing himself from Piker might be politically advantageous for El-Sayed but could also alienate the activist movement that helped propel him to the nomination.
The challenge for Republicans, Rothman said, will be keeping attention on El-Sayed’s beliefs when Democrats attempt to connect Rogers to Trump. That strategy could be effective in a politically divided state, particularly during an election cycle in which progressive voters are highly motivated.
Rothman said Republicans must also challenge the claim that opposition to Israeli military aid represents a compassionate position. He argued that withdrawing support for defensive systems such as Iron Dome would expose more Israeli civilians to missile attacks without necessarily changing the Israeli government’s policies.
The conversation also addressed the growing prominence of democratic socialist candidates elsewhere in the Midwest. Proft cited Wisconsin candidate Francesca Hong and other progressive figures whose past statements and political associations could become issues in competitive races.
Rothman cautioned Republicans against trying to make every progressive candidate a national symbol. Instead, he recommended choosing one or two prominent figures and repeatedly asking other Democratic candidates whether they support those individuals and their positions.
He compared the proposed strategy to the way Democrats used controversial comments by Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin to damage GOP candidates across the country during the 2012 election. Although Rothman said national news organizations would be less inclined to advance a Republican framing of Democratic candidates, he argued that consistent messaging could force the issue into campaign coverage.
El-Sayed’s victory has consequences beyond a single Senate race, Rothman said, because successful candidates can shift a party’s ideological boundaries. He warned that Republicans should not underestimate democratic socialist candidates or assume their views make them unelectable.
For Rogers to prevail, Rothman concluded, Republicans will need to appeal beyond their existing base and persuade Michigan voters that the election concerns not only individual policies, but competing views of the United States, its alliances and its responsibilities in the world.