Democratic U.S.Senate candidate in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, declined to apologize Monday night for his "ogre on a pike" metaphor after critics from both parties condemned the leaked remark as violent and, in some cases, sexist.Pressed during the final primary debate before next week's election, over whether he regretted the rhetoric, El-Sayed defended the substance of his comments before revealing whom he had been referring to — and it was not primary opponent Rep.
Haley Stevens, D-Mich."I was referring to a guy named John Fetterman," El-Sayed said, accusing the Pennsylvania Democratic senator of getting elected on one set of values before "completely throwing those values in the mud."GRETCHEN WHITMER ENDORSES MODERATE HALEY STEVENS IN TIGHT UPCOMING SENATE PRIMARYThe controversy stemmed from comments El-Sayed made during a recent Zoom meeting with donors, Politico reported, adding that El-Sayed was discussing how to use his victory in Michigan’s upcoming Aug.4 primary and the November election to build a national platform to move the Democratic Party further left and support future primary challenges, such as against Fetterman.U.S.
Sen.John Fetterman (D-PA) walks through the Senate Subway during the Senate War Powers vote on April 22, 2026 in Washington, DC.
(Heather Diehl/Getty Images)"Ideally, you put one ogre on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message," El-Sayed said, according to audio obtained by Politico.While El-Sayed did not name Stevens in the recording, some Democrats interpreted the remark as referring to her.
Rep.Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., who has endorsed Stevens, called the remark a "violent, vulgar" threat and said candidates should be working to lower the political temperature.Neera Tanden, a former Biden administration official who returned to leading the left-wing think tank the Center for American Progress, connected the remark to broader accusations of sexism that have roiled the primary.
"Calling your female opponent an ogre y...