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Abdul El-Sayed, a controversial socialist running for Michigan’s U.S. Senate seat against Republican Mike Rogers, ignited a social media firestorm over the weekend with posts directed at Usha Vance, the second lady. Critics swiftly condemned the remarks as inappropriate and questioned what the candidate’s treatment of women would entail if elected in November.
El-Sayed’s initial post followed Vice President JD Vance’s Saturday rally remarks in Ohio, where Vance criticized the candidate over his stated adherence to Sharia law and referenced his grandfather. The Michigan candidate responded with a cryptic message appearing to reference Vance’s wife’s Indian ethnicity, asking whether Vance was “taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw.”
Political figures from both parties rushed to condemn the posts. Former Florida state Rep. Ben Graber questioned the candidate’s approach on social media platform X, while Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas suggested El-Sayed was making sweeping assumptions about Midwestern voters. An account representing Rogers’ campaign called the remarks “deeply sexist” and highlighted a pattern of misogynistic behavior.
El-Sayed also targeted Natalie Harp, an aide to President Donald Trump, in a separate post responding to Trump’s criticism of the candidate’s association with far-left figure Hasan Piker. Tudor Dixon, a former Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate, characterized El-Sayed’s approach as cowardly, stating he “picks on women who are not in his fight.”
El-Sayed’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment explaining the implications of his posts. The vice president’s office and representatives for Usha Vance similarly did not immediately provide statements in response to the controversy.
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