El-sayed Touts GOP Appeal Amid Fiery Fox News Clash
WHO:
The Daily Beast - Abdul El-Sayed is a 41-year-old Democratic candidate for a Michigan Senate seat; Republican Mike Rogers, 63, is his opponent.
The Daily Beast - Bret Baier is a Fox News anchor who interviewed El-Sayed.
The Daily Beast - El-Sayed won the contested Democratic primary for the seat held by retiring Democrat Gary Peters.
The Daily Beast - The Trump administration designated certain branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist groups.
The Daily Beast - El-Sayed’s estranged half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, made social media claims about family connections to the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed’s parents separated when he was 3, and he did not grow up with his mother or half-sister.
Semafor - El-Sayed’s campaign is launching a television advertisement featuring praise from conservative pundits, including Fox News host Jesse Watters and Tucker Carlson.
WHAT:
The Daily Beast - During the interview, El-Sayed told Baier, “Don’t be Rogers’ campaign. Be a journalist,” after accusing him of taking a statement out of context.
The Daily Beast - In an on-the-street interview, El-Sayed repeatedly challenged Baier’s questions about alleged Muslim Brotherhood ties and the suggestion of “dual loyalties.” El-Sayed said, “My loyalty will be to the Constitution of the United States,” and stated, “I have never been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. I never will be.”
The Daily Beast - El-Sayed said it was “sad and beneath him—and frankly beneath the president of the United States” to make his faith an issue, adding that the Constitution guarantees the right to pray as one chooses.
The Daily Beast - Recent reporting found no evidence that El-Sayed was affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood; he has repeatedly denied any connection.
The Daily Beast - At a Senate debate, Rogers claimed El-Sayed had never disavowed the Brotherhood. El-Sayed had disavowed it in an exchange with Thomas Teepell, whose video challenging him went viral. Teepell was a former staffer for Republican Sen. Josh Hawley and a failed Republican Kansas gubernatorial candidate.
Semafor - The ad has El-Sayed saying, “free speech is under attack, and we should be making America healthy again.” It features Watters saying “he beat the machine” and Carlson saying, “I wouldn’t vote for Mike Rogers at gunpoint.”
WHERE:
The Daily Beast - El-Sayed and Rogers are competing for a Michigan Senate seat; the interview took place on the street. A debate between them was held in Southfield, Michigan.
The Daily Beast - Abdelhadi’s social media posts said their mother engaged in activism with the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1970s.
WHY:
The Daily Beast - Baier said he wanted to ask El-Sayed about a 2012 open letter he signed concerning Egypt’s then-president Mohamed Morsi, identified in the article as a Muslim Brotherhood leader. Rogers’ campaign has promoted allegations about El-Sayed’s alleged ties.
Semafor - The campaign’s ad approach is to highlight conservative pundits’ praise of El-Sayed and criticism of Rogers.
HOW:
The Daily Beast - El-Sayed said he would swear the same constitutional oath as every senator who has served.
Semafor - The campaign plans a six-figure television advertising buy; the ad displays pundits’ recorded praise on a screen.
The Daily Beast - Some polls show El-Sayed ahead by one or two points.
(UPDATED October 24, 2026 14:05 UTC)
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for a Michigan Senate seat, pushed back against questions about alleged Muslim Brotherhood ties in an interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier. After accusing Baier of taking a statement out of context, El-Sayed told him, “Don’t be Rogers’ campaign. Be a journalist.” He denied ever belonging to the group and said his loyalty would be to the U.S. Constitution. El-Sayed also said making his Muslim faith an issue was beneath President Trump, while insisting the Constitution protects the right to pray freely. His Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, has promoted the allegations, though reporting has found no evidence of El-Sayed’s affiliation. El-Sayed has also previously disavowed the Brotherhood, despite Rogers claiming otherwise at a debate. Now, El-Sayed’s campaign is planning a six-figure TV ad buy featuring praise from conservative commentators, including Jesse Watters and Tucker Carlson, alongside criticism of Rogers.
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(UPDATED October 24, 2026 13:08 UTC)
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is pushing back against allegations about Muslim Brotherhood ties as he campaigns for a Michigan Senate seat against Republican Mike Rogers. In a street interview, Fox News anchor Bret Baier questioned El-Sayed about a 2012 letter concerning Egypt’s Mohamed Morsi and suggestions of “dual loyalties.” El-Sayed said his loyalty is to the U.S. Constitution, denied ever belonging to the Brotherhood, and said making his faith an issue was beneath President Trump. Recent reporting found no evidence of an affiliation. Rogers has claimed El-Sayed never disavowed the group, though El-Sayed did so in a separate exchange. The controversy has also involved social media claims by El-Sayed’s estranged half-sister about their mother’s activism. Meanwhile, El-Sayed’s campaign plans a six-figure TV ad featuring praise from conservative commentators Jesse Watters and Tucker Carlson, who also criticizes Rogers.