Vance calls Michigan Senate candidate El-Sayed 'evil' at campaign rally

What the report says

US Vice-President JD Vance escalated the Michigan Senate race on Monday by calling Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed “very, very evil” at a rally for Republican Mike Rogers in a Detroit suburb. The BBC reports that Vance portrayed El-Sayed as divisive and accused him of promoting views that undermine national unity. He also told El-Sayed to stop mentioning his wife, Usha Vance, after a dispute over remarks tied to her Hindu faith and El-Sayed’s comments about Vance’s family.

El-Sayed, a 41-year-old physician and political newcomer, is running against Rogers, a former law enforcement official and longtime politician. The race has become increasingly combative, with both sides trading personal attacks. Vance linked El-Sayed to controversial online activist Hasan Piker and to remarks about 9/11 and Temple Israel, although the BBC noted that El-Sayed did not make those statements himself and has distanced himself from Piker.

El-Sayed responded later on Monday by accusing the Trump administration of “evil” policies, including cutting healthcare, raising costs for working people and fueling conflict abroad. He said his earlier comments were meant to criticize Vance’s political worldview, not his family. The contest is a closely watched battleground race in a state won by Joe Biden in 2020 and Donald Trump in 2024, with a recent Michigan survey cited by the BBC showing El-Sayed narrowly ahead of Rogers.