Jewish Democratic Mayor ‘Uncomfortable’ With Abdul El-Sayed, Won’t Vote For Him

(Photos via: @AndySchor on X and CBS)

The Jewish Democratic mayor of one of the biggest cities in Michigan said he can’t support Abdul El-Sayed’s (D) Senate bid because he is too “uncomfortable” with the progressive candidate bashing Israel,  according to a Wednesday report from CNN.

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor told the outlet his Jewish heritage makes it hard for him to vote for El-Sayed — and he’s not planning to, less than one month before the election.

CNN reported Schor won’t vote for El-Sayed “at least until they have a conversation,” and so far, that powwow is yet to be scheduled. In fact, Schor hasn’t even heard back from El-Sayed.

“If he doesn’t need me, he doesn’t need me,” Schor said. “And that’s their strategic decision.”

Schor is the mayor of Michigan’s sixth-largest city, with about 114,000 people living in Lansing.

He also told CNN that he doesn’t plan on backing El-Sayed’s Republican opponent Mike Rogers, if he ultimately holds off on voting for his fellow Democrat. Schor’s hesitation comes after El-Sayed has said Israel is just as “evil” as Hamas, repeatedly accused the country of committing a “genocide” in Gaza, and accused AIPAC of “legalized bribery” by giving to his primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI).

Schor is not the only Jewish Democrat who has expressed skepticism about voting for El-Sayed, either.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) appeared to reluctantly support El-Sayed last month, despite recently calling him out for making Israel the “central villain” in his public gripes. Nessel said she “couldn’t consider” voting for a Republican, but she said she had to ask El-Sayed if he believed Jewish Zionists “belong” in the Democratic Party before supporting him.

El-Sayed answered:

So look, I believe in a big tent, and there are Democrats who are going to believe different things about different issues, Israel being one of them. And I am committed to having a tent where we march in lockstep on the 95% of things we agree on, and where we continue to have the conversation in that tent about the spaces where we disagree. So, yes.

And I will also say that it is critical for people to have the belief in our democracy, they have the right to advocate for what they believe in peaceably, and without risk of violence, regardless of what it is. And we can disagree, but we have that debate in public.

Nessel officially endorsed El-Sayed a few minutes later.

Still, the Republican Jewish Coalition is aiming to win over disenchanted Jewish Democrats like Schor before election day, with the coalition reportedly putting $2 million into a new ad campaign to sway people away from El-Sayed.

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