Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, distanced himself on Monday from a politically charged advertisement created by an outside group that endorses him while simultaneously criticizing his Republican opponent for their stance on Israel. The ad, produced by Rebellion PAC, features a grocery store setting where a woman tells a man he should return a carton of eggs, stating, “But we have to set that $7 aside for killing Palestinians.”
The ad raises issues around U.S. military aid to Israel, which has exceeded $21 billion between fall 2023 and fall 2025, according to the Costs of War Project at Brown University. Dr. El-Sayed’s campaign emphasized that the advertisement is “not affiliated in any way” with him or his candidacy and stated, “No one speaks for Abdul but himself and his campaign.”
Dr. El-Sayed, known for his criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, has called for a reevaluation of U.S. support for Israel, particularly after the conflict erupted following the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people. Health officials in Gaza report that at least 74,000 people have died since the beginning of the conflict.
The ad has gone viral on social media, amassing over six million views since its posting on X, a platform where it originally aired in 2024. In response to the ad, Representative Haley Stevens, a pro-Israel Democrat who Dr. El-Sayed defeated in the Senate primary, criticized it for what she termed “fearmongering about Israel.”
Stevens’s criticism underscores the growing tension within the Democratic Party regarding Israel, a complex issue that Dr. El-Sayed navigates as he seeks to gain traction in one of the nation’s most competitive races. He has previously expressed opposition to military aid for Israel while working to garner support from Jewish voters, with many endorsing him in a public letter.
Despite its widespread reach, Rebellion PAC has limited financial resources behind the ad, reporting only $4,000 spent on social media and no funds allocated for television advertising. The narrative of the ad also targets Dr. El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, former Representative Mike Rogers, who has said he will support Israel “unconditionally.” It concludes with a controversial claim linking Rogers to progressive issues around gender identity.
On Monday, Stevens further articulated her disapproval of the ad’s connections between financial hardships and U.S. aid to Israel, advocating for different solutions to economic challenges facing Americans. Meanwhile, Rogers’s spokeswoman, Abby Ronson, stated he is “for every single Michigander” and accused Dr. El-Sayed’s supporters of promoting “anti-Israel hate.”
The ongoing discourse surrounding this advertisement exemplifies the challenges that progressive candidates face within a party that maintains a more traditional stance on foreign policy. As the Senate race progresses, the reactions to these themes may further shape voters’ perceptions leading up to the general election.
