A longtime Democratic strategist who previously faced backlash for embracing a notorious antisemite with a dark history of hateful comments is now on the campaign payroll of US Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan, the Daily Mail can confirm.
asserted
Mail → face → Michigan
Terra DeFoe, who was previously on the payroll of various Michigan Democrats – including Senator Elissa Slotkin and Representative Haley Stevens, El-Sayed's Democratic primary rival – received two payments totaling over $8,000 between late August and mid-September, a Daily Mail review of El-Sayed's recent campaign filing reveals.
asserted
review → include → filing
The revelation comes as El-Sayed, who earlier this week disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood during a town hall, continues to face criticism from Jewish voters and conservatives who don't believe he has adequately condemned Hamas and who have been turned off by his past controversial remarks about Israel.
asserted
who → come → Israel
'Great time with my Brothers at Savior's Day Convention 2017,' DeFoe wrote in a February 19, 2017, post on her Facebook page, which was accompanied by a photo of her with Nation of Islam (NOI) Minister Louis Farrakhan.
asserted
which → write → Farrakhan
'Its been a full week supporting the Nation of Islam and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.'
asserted
Its → support → Islam
Farrakhan has come under fire for his antisemitic remarks for decades, including strong condemnation from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which has called him an 'extremist figure' who has spent recent years espousing 'some of the most hateful speeches of his tenure as head of NOI.'
asserted
who → come → NOI
During the keynote address of the 2017 Savior's Day Convention that DeFoe attended in Detroit, Farrakhan told the crowd: 'I want to disabuse the Jews today of the false claim that you are "The Chosen of God," and that Israel, or Palestine, belongs to you; I want to disabuse you of that.
uncertain
I → attend → that
'And I'm going to tell you about your future:
asserted
I → go → future
You that think you have power to frighten and dominate the peoples of the world,' he said in a video posted to the NOI's official website.
asserted
he → think → website
'I am here to announce the end of your time.'
asserted
I → announce → time
A week later, according to the ADL, Farrakhan said in a speech broadcast online from Mosque Maryam in Chicago: 'Those who call themselves "Jews," who are not really Jews, but are in fact Satan: You should learn to call them by their real name, "Satan;" you are coming face–to–face with Satan, the Arch Deceiver, the enemy of God and the enemy of the Righteous.'
uncertain
you → accord → Righteous
Democratic strategist Terra DeFoe (front) is now on the campaign payroll of Michigan's Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed, (back row, second from left) a recent Federal Election Commission filing reveals (Source: Terra DeFoe/Facebook)
DeFoe is seen with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan (front, third from left) at the group's Savior's Day Convention in 2017 (Source: Terra DeFoe/Facebook)
DeFoe also hosted Troy Muhammad, a loyal NOI leader whose Facebook bio describes him as the 'Detroit Representative of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan,' on her talk show in 2019, when she lavished praise on him as a 'valued community leader.'
asserted
she → reveal → leader
Meanwhile, Muhammad, who was photographed with El-Sayed last year, has repeatedly praised DeFoe on social media, including a 2018 post supporting her failed state representative campaign in Michigan, saying he was 'happy to stand by my friend' and describing her as a 'decent, hard working and committed human being.
asserted
he → photograph → decent
While Federal Election Commission filings do not specify what DeFoe's role in El-Sayed's campaign is, she posted in early September that she loved her work and that she 'had the pleasure of bringing together Black elected officials who endorsed Congresswoman Haley Stevens for US Senate to sit down with Abdul El–Sayed,' referencing her former boss.
asserted
Senate → specify → boss
'Black communities deserve to be heard,' she continued.
asserted
she → deserve → ?
'Black leadership deserves to be respected.'
asserted
leadership → deserve → ?
The revelation of the payments to DeFoe from the El-Sayed campaign ignited anger from StopAntisemitism founder and Executive Director Liora Rez, who told the Daily Mail that 'this should be a wake–up call.
asserted
this → ignite → Mail
'We're not surprised in the least that a Farrakhan supporter is getting paid by a Muslim Brotherhood–aligned political operative trying to weasel his way into the US Senate,' Rez told the Daily Mail, referring to a repeated attack line about the Muslim Brotherhood that has put El-Sayed on defense in recent weeks, with him saying he has no ties to the group and disavowing it.
asserted
he → pay → it
These are serious questions about judgment, associations and the radical ideologies being welcomed into our political system,' Rez continued.
asserted
Rez → welcome → system
'History has shown the dangers of normalizing extremist rhetoric and excusing support for those who promote hatred.
asserted
who → show → hatred
This should be a wake-up call.
asserted
This → wake → ?
Strategists on both sides of the aisle said they are concerned.
El-Sayed has recently pushed back against claims that he is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, disavowing the group at a recent town hall.
uncertain
he → say → hall
DeFoe welcomed Troy Muhammad (above, with her), the self-described 'Detroit Representative of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan,' on her talk show in 2019, calling him a 'valued community leader.'
asserted
DeFoe → welcome → him
Muhammad, likewise, has referred to DeFoe as a 'friend'
asserted
Muhammad → refer → friend
DeFoe was previously on the payroll of Sen. Elissa Slotkin, another Democrat from Michigan (Source: Terra DeFoe/Facebook)
'Death, taxes, Abdul paying extremists,' a longtime Democratic strategist told the Daily Mail.
asserted
strategist → pay → Mail
'Cozying up to notorious antisemites is a key campaign strategy for the Democratic Party in 2026,' a GOP consultant added.
asserted
consultant → cozye → 2026
'It's pretty astounding that Abdul El-Sayed asks Michigan voters to ignore how much his policies would cost, what he has stated about defunding the police, and who he associates with,' longtime GOP strategist Mark Bednar told the Daily Mail.
asserted
Bednar → ask → Mail
'This campaign payment is just the latest example of what Michigan voters have come to learn about his campaign.'
DeFoe's association with Farrakhan and the NOI was first reported by Fox News Digital in 2024 while she was advising Slotkin's Senate campaign, igniting backlash from Jewish leaders, including Rez, who thought the Facebook post was 'beyond alarming' and that Slotkin should cut ties.
asserted
Slotkin → come → ties
Earlier this year, the Washington Free Beacon reported on Marcus Muhammad, the mayor of Benton Harbor, Michigan, and a 'student minister' in the NOI, urging black voters to 'get out and support' El-Sayed.
asserted
Beacon → report → Sayed
Brooke Goldstein, who serves as the CEO of the Lawfare Project and is the founder of the End Jew Hatred Movement, told Fox News Digital at the time: 'It is inexcusable that anyone supports Louis Farrakhan's venomous hate, but all the more troubling that supporters like Terra DeFoe are in a position of trust and authority among elected officials, and are therefore capable of causing significant damage to our core value of equality under the law.'
The Daily Mail reached out to the El-Sayed campaign and DeFoe multiple times, but did not hear back by press time.
asserted
Mail → serve → time
The Aporia
