(Photos via: @Haleybooyah on Instagram and Zeteo)
Michigan Senate candidate Haley Stevens (D) on Sunday rejected a call from one of her supporters to kick the “Muslim butt” of her opponent, fellow Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, in the upcoming primary.
The Detroit News wrote about the exchange while following Stevens to a “Black church.”
Reporter Grant Schwab wrote:
“Miss Stevens, we know you’re gonna kick that Muslim’s butt,” a parishioner of Fellowship Chapel in Detroit said to Stevens as she arrived to attend the Sunday service. He was referring to her opponent, former Wayne County public health official Abdul El-Sayed, who has spoken about his faith in recent days.
“You know what, we’re here for Michigan,” Stevens said in response, attempting to deflect the comment.
“I know you are,” the African American man told Stevens from his car in the parking lot of the church. “But I don’t know about him.”
Speaking to a Detroit News reporter immediately after the exchange, Stevens said: “Look, that’s not what my campaign is about. It is about what I just said to him. It’s about Michigan.”
“I am proud of the rich diversity in this state,” she later added. “We, you know, are proud of our Lebanese American community, our Yemeni community, and, you know, just all the hopes and dreams for our future in Michigan.”
Her response comes two days before the state’s Democratic primary is held on August 4. El-Sayed is leading in 17 of the 32 polls tracked by The New York Times, while Stevens has the edge in 11 of the polls.
El-Sayed has been a fixture on cable news over the past few months, including one recent appearance on CNN where he dodged Jake Tapper’s question about why he said a lot of people were upset right after Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed.
He also claimed Israel was was just as “evil” as Hamas during an April appearance on CNN, among other gripes he has about the country.
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