Senator Bernie Sanders has accused senior Democratic Party figures and donors of being lukewarm about, or even wanting to see the defeat of, Abdul El-Sayed, the party's progressive Senate nominee in Michigan. Speaking to "Politico Playbook", Sanders argued that some establishment Democrats view El-Sayed and similar left-wing candidates as a threat both to wealthy donor interests and to the party's traditional support for Israel's government under Benjamin Netanyahu. His remarks come as El-Sayed faces continued scrutiny over his links to controversial streamer Hasan Piker, whose comments about American Jews and Israel drew condemnation from prominent Democrats including Hakeem Jeffries and Cory Booker.

Sanders described the resistance to El-Sayed as coming from "a small number of people… at the head of the Democratic Party" and the donor class, while dismissing Piker's remarks as the kind of "dumb things" any podcaster might say. Democratic strategist Yemisi Egbewole rejected Sanders' framing, saying El-Sayed had apologised over comments regarding an attack on Temple Israel and had distanced himself from Piker, adding that his focus should be on uniting Democrats after narrowly beating Rep. Haley Stevens in the primary. The Republican National Committee also weighed in sharply against El-Sayed, while the candidate himself repeatedly declined to dwell on the Piker controversy, insisting his campaign was focused on affordability and healthcare in Michigan.