Senate Republicans are making a late push to save former Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan. They are putting money and effort into highlighting what they say are ties between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood 1. El-Sayed "vigorously denies" any such ties, The Hill reports 1.
Two Republican super PACs (outside groups that can raise and spend unlimited sums) are paying for the ads. They are the Great Lakes Conservative Fund and the Senate Leadership Fund, which is aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune. A Senate GOP strategist told The Hill the groups appear to be spending millions of dollars 1.
What Republicans point to
Republicans cite a January 2011 HuffPost essay by El-Sayed. In it, he argued that a Muslim Brotherhood takeover in Egypt would not be as bad as some critics feared 1. They also cite a 2012 letter he signed urging Egypt's then-president, Mohamed Morsi, "to purge the media and police as quickly as possible" 1.
They also point to old social media posts by his half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi. She wrote that she talked with her mother about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood in the early 1970s 1. El-Sayed's parents divorced when he was 3, and his father and stepmother raised him outside Detroit 1.
CNN reported that El-Sayed does not know what his mother did in Egypt in the 1970s. It also said the Brotherhood officially rejects violence, though offshoots have been linked to past attacks 2.
The debate and the denials
At their second debate on Wednesday, Rogers asked El-Sayed whether he was for America or for "terrorist groups overseas" 1. He also appealed to "Jewish Democrats who are afraid for their children" 1. El-Sayed answered that he loves the country and the Constitution 1.
The implication of the question is that somehow I have dual loyalties, right? And there’s nothing about my history or record to imply that,
President Trump has said El-Sayed is "100 percent" affiliated with the Brotherhood 1. CNN called Trump's separate claim that El-Sayed is a jihadist false 2. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has questioned whether El-Sayed should get access to classified information 1.
What experts say
John Clark, a political scientist at Western Michigan University, said he has not seen anyone credible who can make the direct ties Republicans claim 1. Ross Baker of Rutgers University said the name "suggests something sinister," which is probably why Republicans use it 1.
I have yet to see anybody that I consider to be credible that can make these direct ties that [Republicans] are claiming.
Clark said the ads may not move voters who already know El-Sayed. But he said fear of a Muslim senator could make a big difference with others 1. That is analysis from one expert, not a measured result.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the party's Senate campaign arm, said El-Sayed has "serious questions to answer" 1. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and El-Sayed's campaign did not answer The Hill's requests for comment 1.
What happens next
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. The Republican strategist told The Hill the ads are "hurting El-Sayed." That is one partisan source's claim, and The Hill did not cite polling to back it 1. The spending itself shows Republicans think the seat is competitive.
The Record
- El-Sayed signed a letter urging Egypt's Mohamed Morsi "to purge the media and police as quickly as possible" 1.
- CNN reported that the Brotherhood has become a flashpoint in the race, and called Trump's "jihadist" claim false 2.
- Rogers pressed El-Sayed on the Muslim Brotherhood at their second debate 1.
Sources
- The Hill, “El-Sayed's alleged ties to Muslim Brotherhood shake up Michigan Senate race” (2026-10-22). thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6164202-abdul-el-sayed-michiga
- CNN via KEYT, “Why the Muslim Brotherhood has become a flashpoint in the Michigan Senate race” (2026-10-19). keyt.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2026/10/19/why-the-muslim-
Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.
