Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed says 'ogre' remark was about Fetterman, not rival
Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, clarified that his comment about putting an 'ogre's head on a pike' referred to Senator John Fetterman, not his primary opponent Haley Stevens. The clarification came during a televised debate ahead of the August 4 primary.
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed stated during Monday's televised debate that his controversial 'ogre' comment was directed at US Senator John Fetterman, not his primary opponent Haley Stevens. The debate moderator Roop Raj asked El-Sayed if he regretted the remark, which was captured in leaked audio from a Zoom meeting and published by Politico: 'Ideally you put one ogre on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message, and all of a sudden [it] starts to sound a lot different.'
El-Sayed defended his civility, noting he had chastised supporters for mocking Stevens' accent. He explained that the 'ogre' comment referenced Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat who won election as a progressive but has shifted rightward, especially regarding support for Israel. 'I was referring to a guy named John Fetterman, who’s a senator from Pennsylvania who has done terrible things, got elected on a set of values, and is now completely throwing those values in the mud,' El-Sayed said.
Stevens quipped: 'Thank you for clarifying that you didn’t call me an ogre.' The primary contest to replace retiring Senator Gary Peters has become a proxy fight between the party's progressive and establishment wings. Stevens, endorsed by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, identifies as a 'proud pro-Israel Democrat' and has received substantial support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. El-Sayed, who has called Israel's Gaza campaign a 'genocide' and denounced US arms support, is backed by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The race is seen as a test of whether anti-Washington sentiment and progressive energy can overcome institutional support in a key battleground state. Asked if he considers himself a progressive or democratic socialist, El-Sayed replied: 'I’m not a socialist. I’m just a capitalist who understands how capitalism works. The biggest threat to capitalism was never the idea of government regulation. It was always monopoly.'
The primary is one of the few open-seat races this cycle and is crucial for Senate control. Donald Trump won Michigan in 2024, making it a prime Republican target. Former Congressman Mike Rogers, who narrowly lost Michigan's 2024 Senate race to Elissa Slotkin, has been preparing for the general election while Democrats wage an expensive and increasingly bitter primary.
