“Michigan is Not For Sale”: Abdul El-Sayed Denounces Record Outside Spending in Democratic Primary
DETROIT, MI – Today, as outside groups supporting Haley Stevens neared $60 million in spending, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed was joined by members of the UAW, National Nurses United, and the local community for a Michigan is Not For Sale press conference, calling out AIPAC and the other billionaire-backed dark money groups attempting to buy Michigan’s U.S. Senate seat. The unprecedented spending in this race has shattered the previous record for outside spending in a Democratic primary, more than doubling the previous high.
Key excerpts below:
Donna Givens Davidson, Community Leader: “What is Haley Stevens running to do? I hear she’s running because she can fight Trump and she can beat Mike Rogers, but what exactly is she saying she’s going to do while in office other than fight [Trump]? I don’t need somebody who’s going to fight Trump. I need somebody who’s going to fight for me, fight for my children, fight for my grandchildren, fight for my neighbors, fight for Detroit, fight for the East Side. And in that, I put my faith behind a man who’s done that for as long as I’ve known him over these past 10 years.”
Jamie Brown, president of National Nurses United: “AIPAC and its affiliates have already spent $30 million to oppose Abdul. Think about that. That means just in this one Michigan Senate race, AIPAC has spent nearly $30 million in defense of genocide and the dehumanization of the Palestinian people. I don’t know whose values those are, but I sure as hell know that those aren’t Michigan values and certainly do nothing to improve the lives of working Michiganders. Abdul stands by Michigan values. He believes that everyone deserves dignity, respect, and that our collective power always outweighs the selfishness of those who dehumanize others and try to diminish our rights.”
Amber Love, UAW Local 1700: “I’m proud that my union, the UAW, has decided to back a candidate that will fight for all of us. Abdul El-Sayed is on the side of workers. When some of the wealthiest corporations and billionaires in the country pour [over] $50 million into this race, blanketing our screens with ad after ad after ad against him, it only reinforces the point. It’s money against the many. And our history teaches us, from the sit-down strike to the March on Washington, that when the people stand together, we can all prevail over power.”
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed: “And so when they hear complaints, what I hear is a movement of people standing up for the future that they want to build and deserve. And what they don’t see is it’s not complaints, it’s work. We put in the work for the democracy we deserve. We put in the work for the opportunity we deserve. We put in the work to know that it is the people who are going to stand up, take our democracy back, win this race, and more importantly, win the future for our kids and our grandkids. And I just want to thank all of the folks that they want to call ‘the complaining class’ for being willing to stand up and put ourselves in the cut for our democracy.
While Haley Stevens has been dependent on outside spending to boost her candidacy, Abdul has people power: the campaign has seen massive growth in fundraising over the last month with over $3.3 million raised in July and counting, with not a dime coming from corporate PACs. Abdul’s vision has produced a volunteer army of more than 10,000 Michiganders and motivated citizens knocking doors and making calls to elect Abdul to the Senate. This hard work has paid off, as Abdul leads Stevens in the most recent polling by Tulchin Research and Data for Progress.
You can watch a recording of the full press conference here.
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