A Michigan Republican state lawmaker has cast doubt on Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed's denial that he holds socialist views, arguing his policy positions align closely with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) movement. Rep. Bill G. Schuette told Fox News Digital that El-Sayed's agenda, including abolishing ICE, backing Medicare for All, taxing billionaire wealth and ending US military aid to Israel, puts him at odds with Michigan's values around entrepreneurship and personal freedom, and predicted voters will reject these policies in November.

El-Sayed, a former public health official, narrowly beat establishment-backed Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary earlier this month, part of a wider pattern of DSA-aligned primary wins in states including New York, Florida and Colorado. He has denied being a socialist, telling CBS News he wants to build a "broad coalition" and telling CNN he believes in "regulated" capitalism, though he has drawn support from figures such as Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib. Schuette also criticised El-Sayed's association with streamer Hasan Piker, who has around 10 million followers and made controversial remarks about Jewish Americans and Israel, prompting El-Sayed to publicly distance himself from Piker's comments.