Political Glance
Michigan Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (D) on Sunday ripped into CNN host Jake Tapper for asking him questions related to Iran and Israel — specifically about past comments the candidate has made.
Tapper first asked El-Sayed about a comment New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) made to The New York Times. When asked if there was room in the Democratic Party for candidates who take money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) — the pro-Israel lobbying group — the mayor said, “If they are Democrats and they run as Democrats and they win as Democrats, then they should be part of the Democratic Party.”
Tapper suggested that El-Sayed disagrees based on past remarks, where the candidate told CNN that support for Israel could only be about AIPAC influence and “not if you’re a Democrat and you believe in human rights.”
“So, it sounds as though — and correct me if I’m wrong — it sounds as though you and Mayor Mamdani disagree about how big this tent should be, whether there’s room … in the tent for Israel supporters,” Tapper said.
El-Sayed began saying that in the Democratic Party “there’s always room in the tent for folks.”
“Every time I come on CNN, you guys ask me the same questions about these theoretical rights of existence, or whether or not I agree with the mayor of New York,” El-Sayed said.
“I’m running for Senate in Michigan and, in Michigan, people can’t afford their basic needs. They don’t get the healthcare they need and deserve. They’re worried about the quality of their kids’ school. And the questions seem less to be about the interests of Michiganders than the fact of something happening 6,000 miles away,” he added.
Referring to Mamdani’s comment to the Times, El-Sayed only said that he thinks his “tax dollar should be spent here.”
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