Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) argued during her first joint campaign appearance with Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed that the Jewish vote is not a monolith and that some Jewish voters are prioritizing other issues than Israel and antisemitism in the state’s upcoming competitive Senate race.

Many prominent Jewish Democrats in Michigan have offered strident criticism of El-Sayed, saying they will not vote for him without major commitments on Israel policy and antisemitism — or they plan to vote for his opponent. Slotkin is Jewish.

“There’s no such thing as the Jewish voters, just like there’s no such thing as the Muslim voters or the Black voters. People have their own views and the things that they prioritize are going to drive their vote,” she said during a joint appearance on MS NOW after participating in a joint town hall event.

“People want to see a Jewish woman and a Muslim man being able to get along, debate, push and pull each other, and move the state forward.”

"People want to see a Jewish woman and Muslim man … move the state forward." Sen. Elissa Slotkin and Abdul El-Sayed spoke to MS NOW about their first joint appearance on the campaign trail, as El-Sayed’s race against Mike Rogers appears neck and neck. https://t.co/y8aVj0CEkp

— Jewish Insider (@jewishinsider) October 5, 2026

El-Sayed said that he and Slotkin agree that “you ought to be safe in your place of worship” regardless of religion. El-Sayed has faced criticism from many in the Jewish community for responding to the terrorist attack targeting Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Mich., by saying “hurt people hurt people.” He has since apologized for those remarks.

During their joint appearance at the town hall in Macomb County, Mich., on Saturday, Slotkin downplayed disagreements between moderate and progressive Democrats, arguing that the “real debate among Democrats right now is fight versus flight,” she said. “I am on Team Fight and I need someone with me who is on Team Fight.”

El-Sayed also emphasized that the Iran war is driving up prices at home, and said that the U.S. has “no business fighting” the war.

Slotkin also called Trump “the most successful corrupt leader in the history of the world” and said that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein “would spit out his tea at the amount of money that Donald Trump has stolen from his own people.”