Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, stated on Sunday, August 9th, 2026, that Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D) is making the midterm election "easier" for the GOP. Speaking to CNN’s Manu Raju, Scott said, "Because he is inconsistent with Michiganders of either side of the aisle."

Scott criticized El-Sayed for advocating to defund police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and for wanting to abolish the concept of a border, calling him "just wrong for Michigan."

GOP attack ads have labeled El-Sayed as the "most dangerous" candidate, using his full name, Abdulrahman Mohammed El-Sayed. When asked if this was an indirect attack on El-Sayed’s Muslim faith, Scott responded, "Not at all."

Scott also said Republicans will portray El-Sayed as "sympathetic for Hamas," citing his close ties to left-wing commentator Hasan Piker, who previously made controversial remarks about the U.S. and the September 11 attacks.

El-Sayed addressed these attacks during a Sunday appearance on NBC’s "Meet the Press," saying, "So yes, America didn’t deserve 9/11, but you know, to sit here and play gotcha politics with a dumb thing somebody said out of context that they disavowed themselves — to say, ‘oh well, what does that mean about what you think?’"

CNN’s Jake Tapper also questioned El-Sayed about related posts during an interview on "State of the Union."

Sources