A Michigan Senate candidate has drawn criticism for comments he made on a podcast about Vice President JD Vance and his family after they quickly spread online.
According to Fox News, Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat running for the stateās open U.S. Senate seat, made the remarks during an appearance on āThe Allen Analysis Show,ā where he took aim at Vanceās personal life, including his marriage to second lady Usha Vance.
āWhat do you think is going through Ushaās head when he talks? Sheās like, āDamn, I have to sleep with him,āā El-Sayed said.
āI guess sheās pregnant, so something is happening,ā he added before shifting to Vanceās family.
āCan you imagine, heās got Brown kids, at some point heās going to have a really awkward conversation with his kids, like, you made your career hating people who are different,ā El-Sayed added.
The candidate went on to criticize what he described as inconsistencies in Vanceās political views, referencing the racial makeup of the vice presidentās family.
āHeās got to look at his kids and be like, āYeah, those are Brown kids, theyāre mine,'ā El-Sayed said. āāYou know what I mean? And I had Brown kids. I had Brown kids?'ā
Sayed continued, āI love my Brown kids, and I think my Brown kids are just as American as everyone else. JD Vance has Brown kids who he thinks are less American than everyone else.ā
He also used sharp language to describe Vance personally, saying the vice president has the ācharisma of a doorknobā and the āaura of a toad,ā while at one point urging Usha Vance to āget outā of the marriage.
The comments prompted swift reactions from critics, including Tudor Dixon, a former GOP gubernatorial candidate.
āWhen youāre running on racial division, you have to keep stoking racism, especially if youāre the racist,ā Dixon said. āImagine smugly trying to break up a family because you donāt believe a White man can love his children. Pretty pathetic, and I think Michigan voters will agree.ā
Rev. Jordan Wells, founder of Christians Against Antisemitism Institute, called the comments a ālow blow.ā
āThis isnāt Politics. This is personal, cruel, and straight-up disgusting,ā Wells wrote on social media.
The controversy comes as El-Sayed campaigns in a competitive Democratic primary race. He is set to face Michigan State Senate Whip Mallory McMorrow and current U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in the August primary.
The winner of that contest will advance to the general election, where former U.S. House Rep. Mike Rogers is expected to be the Republican nominee.
