Vice President JD Vance on Friday criticized Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed at a campaign event in his home state of Ohio, pointing to El-Sayed's past remarks linking criticism of Sharia law to White supremacy as evidence that the modern Democratic Party has abandoned its working-class identity.

The remarks came during a speech at the Cleveland-Cliffs Middletown Works steel plant in Vance's hometown of Middletown, Ohio. The event targeted voters in neighboring Michigan ahead of one of this cycle's most competitive Senate races, where El-Sayed faces Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in a contest that could help determine control of the Senate.

Vance invoked his late grandfather, who worked as a welder for 40 years and voted Democrat because he believed it was "the party of union men."

"This is the party, the Democrat party of graduate students, rather than the union and nonunion workers who make this facility run," Vance said. "It's sometimes actually hard to understand what these modern Democrats actually stand for. But look what they say. Pay close attention, and they'll leave these little hints of what they actually care about."

What the Left Is Saying

Progressive voices have defended El-Sayed as a candidate focused on kitchen-table issues affecting working families. After winning Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, El-Sayed emphasized his commitment to economic populism and said he would fight for policies benefiting everyday Americans regardless of background.

El-Sayed has pushed back against characterizations of his views, stating that his criticism of Islamophobic rhetoric is aimed at protecting religious minorities from discrimination. His campaign has argued that attacks on his remarks distract from his core message of expanding health care access, strengthening unions, and addressing economic inequality.

On Israel-related comments that have drawn criticism, El-Sayed said after his primary victory: "My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own kids. We have a responsibility to take on antisemitism in all of its forms, wherever we see it."

Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed's campaign for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

What the Right Is Saying

Republicans have seized on El-Sayed's remarks as evidence that progressive Democrats have adopted a worldview focused on identity politics rather than economic concerns. Vance argued the comments illustrate how far the party has drifted from its blue-collar roots.

The specific remarks at issue came from a 2022 speech El-Sayed delivered at the Council on American-Islamic Relations' annual banquet in Oklahoma, where he criticized State Question 755 — a ballot measure approved by 70% of Oklahoma voters that would have banned courts from considering Sharia law. Federal courts ultimately blocked the measure.

"The same exact forces that drove native peoples from their land two centuries ago, destroyed Black Wall Street a century ago, bombed a building decades ago and tried to ban Sharia law not a decade ago, those forces are alive and well today," El-Sayed said at the event. He also argued that understanding efforts to "uproot Muslim Americans" requires examining "White supremacy."

Conservative critics have pointed to multiple El-Sayed statements — including his description of Israel as an "apartheid" state committing "genocide" — as evidence of positions they say are outside the mainstream.

What the Numbers Show

El-Sayed won Michigan's Democratic Senate primary with 36% of the vote in August 2024, defeating two more moderate opponents. The race is considered a toss-up that could determine Senate control.

State Question 755 passed in Oklahoma with approximately 70% voter approval in 2010 before being struck down by federal courts as unconstitutional.

Michigan's Senate race is one of roughly six contests that polling analysts identify as competitive enough to shift chamber control. Both parties have invested heavily in the state, with outside groups spending an estimated $150 million combined on television advertising as of late 2025.

The Bottom Line

The clash illustrates how cultural and religious issues continue to intersect with economic populism in Senate races. Vance's attack targets working-class voters who may be skeptical of both progressive social positions and what Republicans characterize as elite Democratic politics.

El-Sayed's campaign has not directly addressed the specific remarks cited by Vance, though he has broadly defended his record on antisemitism concerns. The race is expected to intensify as both parties work to define the former physician and public health official ahead of November.

What happens next: Rogers and El-Sayed will meet in a series of debates over the coming weeks. Both campaigns are likely to continue highlighting contrasts on cultural issues while also emphasizing economic positions that each side argues will benefit Michigan workers.