Vance blasts El-Sayed as Michigan Senate race turns on $5,619 tariffs

Vice President JD Vance branded Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed "very evil" at a Sterling Heights rally, escalating a race that turns on the $5,619 tariff burden on state families.

Vance's attack on Monday — calling El-Sayed "very evil" and telling him to "keep my wife's name the hell out of your mouth" — sharpened a Michigan Senate contest that Republicans view as their best pickup chance, with the trade war with Canada adding a $5,619 annual cost to state families.

"These Republicans have made their choice: they're rubber-stamping Trump's toxic agenda, including his reckless war in Iran, his healthcare cuts, and his latest trade war with Canada, no matter the cost to Michigan families," Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, said.

The exchange came as Canada prepared retaliatory taxes starting Sept. 8 on $27.6 billion of American goods, and as Trump's tariffs cost Michigan households an extra $5,619 over the past year — the highest of any state, according to Axios. El-Sayed, at a separate Warren press conference, called Trump an expletive for "picking on Canada," while Vance's rally speech never mentioned the trade dispute.

The seat, held by retiring Democrat Gary Peters, is seen as Republicans' best chance to flip a Senate seat in a year when Trump's poll numbers are dragging down the party. Michigan's bellwether status puts control of the Senate, House, state legislature and top executive offices on the line in November.

Vance's Personal Attack Targets El-Sayed's Base

Vance's harshest and most direct attack yet on El-Sayed, who is Muslim, centered on the Democrat's comments about Second Lady Usha Vance, who is Hindu and the daughter of Indian immigrants. El-Sayed had posted on X questioning whether Vance would take his wife back in time to meet his grandfather, after Vance criticized El-Sayed's earlier remarks that efforts to ban Shariah law stemmed from white supremacy. Vance said he was especially sensitive because Usha Vance gave birth to the couple's fourth child five weeks ago; she told Fox News the comment made her laugh.

Vance also hit El-Sayed's ties to leftist streamer Hasan Piker, who said America "deserved" 9/11 in a 2019 livestream, and his apology over comments after the March attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township. Before taking the stage, Vance met with the rabbi and security guards of the synagogue, according to a spokesman. Rogers, a former FBI agent, called El-Sayed a "con man," saying "I know a con man when I see one." Vance framed the stakes in stark terms, urging voters to reject candidates who "see themselves as fighting for one group at the expense of others," warning that approach "is how you destroy the United States of America." El-Sayed, endorsed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, has drawn controversy within his own party but has rallied Democratic leaders since narrowly winning the primary earlier this month.

Tariffs Emerge as the Deciding Issue

The trade war has become the central economic fault line. Michigan families have paid an extra $5,619 over the past year because of Trump's tariffs, the highest of any state, per Axios, while Canada's retaliatory taxes on $27.6 billion of American goods take effect Sept. 8. El-Sayed said picking on Canada made Trump "the a**hole," while gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson framed the tariffs as a "John James tax" on Michigan small businesses, gas prices and groceries. Benson, joined by former Gov. Jim Blanchard, who served as U.S. ambassador to Canada under Bill Clinton, called the tariff fight "totally destructive."

The last time Michigan faced a comparable cross-border disruption, the 2018 steel and aluminum tariffs, auto-sector suppliers absorbed margin compression for two quarters before the administration carved out exemptions. This cycle, with the Senate majority and state control in play, the tariff burden is a direct campaign liability for Republicans who have embraced Trump's agenda. El-Sayed's response on X framed the race in class terms — "working people v. billionaires and Michigan v. Ohio" — while Vance urged voters to back Rogers "because he's going to go to Washington and he's going to fight for you." Rogers, who also campaigned alongside gubernatorial nominee John James and House Speaker Matt Hall, said his problem was not how El-Sayed prays but "the ideas that you have for big socialist government for our state and our country."

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.