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Is the Islamophobic Campaign Against El-Sayed Working?

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Longwell, S. (2026, November 1). Is the Islamophobic Campaign Against El-Sayed Working? The Bulwark. https://www.thebulwark.com/p/is-the-islamophobic-campaign-against-el-sayed-working-michigan-senate-rogers-midterms

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Bulwark · collected 2026-11-01 · by Sarah Longwell commentary

Quick Summary

The article discusses an unusually Islamophobic campaign in Michigan's Senate race against Abdul El-Sayed, with Republican candidates and groups making extreme claims about his religious affiliations and loyalty to the United States. Specific incidents include Ted Cruz calling El-Sayed a "jihadist leprechaun" and questioning his fitness for the Senate Intelligence Committee. The article explores whether such bigoted attacks are effective in swaying voters who previously supported Trump but now disapprove of him, based on insights from a focus group consisting of these voters.
Written by AI on 2026-11-01, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

As of November 1, 2026, Republican Senator Ted Cruz has made several Islamophobic statements against Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate for Michigan's Senate seat. Cruz labeled El-Sayed as a "jihadist leprechaun," stating that Americans would die if El-Sayed were placed on the Senate Intelligence Committee and warning that he might alert terrorists of their imminent capture. Other Republicans, including Bernie Moreno and Mike Rogers, have also attacked El-Sayed, accusing him of supporting extremist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, and questioning his religious beliefs and American citizenship. These attacks are part of a broader campaign aimed at undermining El-Sayed's chances in an election where Democrats face challenges due to internal disputes and Republican smear tactics.

Written for “Islamophobic Campaign Against El-Sayed” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Leans strongly left (beta estimate) Confidence high
Leaning: leans strongly left for article 121097 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-11-01

Story

📰 Islamophobic Campaign Against El-Sayed
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans strongly left and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Abdul El-Sayed’s toxic ‘academic research’ reveals his anti-American Muslim supremacy Different event
New York Post
Hedges 5 of 37 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Abdul El-Sayed's campaign and the political environment around it, rather than a single specific incident or occurrence.”
How Laura Loomer and Trump allies amplified ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ lie dogging Abdul El-Sayed Different event
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans strongly left Hedges 5 of 32 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the campaign against Abdul El-Sayed: one focuses on the origins and spread of a particular falsehood about him, while the other examines whether Islamophobic attacks are impacting his chances in the election.”
Pelosi slams el Sayed’s refusal to say Israel should exist: ‘It’s wrong’ Different event
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⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 70/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Abdul el Sayed's campaign; Article A focuses on Pelosi criticizing his stance on Israel, while Article B discusses broader Republican attacks and their impact.”
El Sayed and Stevens feud explodes days before Michigan Senate showdown Different event
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⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 70/100
“The articles describe different aspects of the ongoing feud between El Sayed and Stevens, but they do not report on a single specific incident occurring at the same time.”
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Dawn
⚖️ Leans left further right than this Hedges 3 of 44 claims Outlet record 72/100
“Article A discusses Muslim Americans in general running for office amid foreign policy debates, while Article B focuses specifically on a campaign attack against Abdul El-Sayed.”
Mamdani claims Abdul El-Sayed is victim of ‘blatantly racist attacks’ while defending lefty Dem Different event
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 20 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Abdul El-Sayed's campaign and the political discourse surrounding it, rather than a single specific incident.”
The soul of the Democratic Party is on the line in Michigan Different event
New York Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 5 of 40 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the Michigan Senate race without describing the same specific incident or occurrence.”
Trump Ramps Up Attacks: President brands Abdul El-Sayed security threat; critics decry religious targeting Different event
Times of India
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 2 of 15 claims Outlet record 59/100
“Article A describes Trump's attacks at a rally in Port Huron, while Article B discusses broader Republican attacks on El-Sayed, including those from Ted Cruz.”
As Trump escalates extreme attacks, Democrats – finally – rally round El-Sayed Different event
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans left further right than this Hedges 2 of 47 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the campaign against Abdul El-Sayed; Article A focuses on Democrats rallying around him after Trump's attacks, while Article B examines whether those Islamophobic campaigns are impacting voter sentiment.”
Michigan Muslims helped elect Trump. Now their faith is under fire Different event
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans left further right than this Hedges 0 of 4 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Abdul El-Sayed's campaign and the broader political context rather than a single specific incident.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
13
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 13 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly left
expected in commentary, which argues a position · beta estimate
Publisher signals
not measured
these signals count newsroom corrections; Commentary has none to count
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-01 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
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Publisher

The Bulwark · 566 article(s) · 0 correction(s) detected
No corrections detected for this publisher. That may mean careful reporting, or simply that nothing has been checked.

Who wrote this

Sarah Longwell
27 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 To date, Sen. Ted Cruz has called El-Sayed a “jihadist leprechaun,” said that “Americans will die” if he were placed on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and warned that if he learned that a group of terrorists were about to be apprehended, he would “let those terrorists know.”
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Is the Islamophobic Campaign Against El-Sayed Working?
🔮 The Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter is back for one last hurrah before the midterms, and after a bit of lesbian-specific chit chat, she and Sarah discuss how big the blue wave could get on Tuesday, voters’ hilarious comments about how fed up they are with the deluge of political advertising.
2026-10-31 · assertive framing · Amy Walter Sees the Makings of a Historic Electoral Earthquake
🔮 ELON MUSK MIGHT WANT KEN PAXTON to be a senator more than Ken Paxton does.
2026-10-30 · assertive framing · What Texas Trump Voters Really Think of Elon Musk’s Ads
🔮 It’s a massive bet that voters will believe the mom—despite overwhelming evidence that she is the one lying—and not recoil (as basically much of the top ranks of the Ohio Republican Party have) at the sheer vileness of the attack. Will it work?
2026-10-25 · assertive framing · How Ohio Trump Voters Reacted to Vivek’s Attack Ad
🔮 How do democracies fall apart, and why do the people who could stop it so often look the other way?
2026-10-21 · mixed framing · Dana Bash Sees a Political Earthquake Coming in Texas and Maine
🔮 But still, the voters who will decide this race are reverting to their tribal instincts.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Darline Graham’s Seat Isn’t Safe. These Voters Explain Why.
🔮 There are a lot of red states with big elections this year where Democrats are ‘sayin’ there’s a chance,’ like Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, or Iowa, where they may have more than just a chance.
2026-10-17 · mixed framing · Some Trump Voters Are Gushing Over This Iowa Democrat (with Elaine Godfrey)
🔮 Plus, Weissmann explains why simply ordering Trump to stop breaking the rules isn’t enough, and whether DOJ lawyers pursuing politically motivated prosecutions could eventually face disbarment.
2026-10-15 · assertive framing · DHS Raids Ilhan Omar’s Home. Weissmann Smells a Rat.
🔮 The speech goes like this: With you at my side, we will demolish the deep state.
2026-10-09 · assertive framing · We Showed Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded Ad to a Focus Group. The Results Were Abysmal.
🔮 OF ALL THE STATES THAT COULD give us an indication of how big the blue wave will be this cycle, Iowa is one of the most intriguing.
2026-10-06 · assertive framing · A Group of Iowa Trump Voters Reveals Why MAGA Is Flailing
Also by Sarah Longwell
Amy Walter Sees the Makings of a Historic Electoral Earthquake
2026-10-31 · The Bulwark
What Texas Trump Voters Really Think of Elon Musk’s Ads
2026-10-30 · The Bulwark
Trump Keeps Trying to Jail His Enemies. Grand Juries Keep Saying NO
2026-10-29 · The Bulwark
How Ohio Trump Voters Reacted to Vivek’s Attack Ad
2026-10-25 · The Bulwark
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 27 articles by Sarah Longwell →

Topics

American Democrats MICHIGAN Republicans Senate

Subjects

El-Sayed PERSON · 7× American NORP · 2× Democrats NORP · 2× Republicans NORP · 2× Senate ORG · 2× Trump ORG · 2× Abdul El-Sayed PERSON · 1× Haley Stevens PERSON · 1× Jason Turkish PERSON · 1× MICHIGAN GPE · 1×

Narrative

To date, Sen. Ted Cruz has called El-Sayed a “jihadist leprechaun,” said that “Americans will die” if he were placed on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and warned that if he learned that a group of terrorists were about to be apprehended, he would “let those terrorists know.”
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-01
🔮 To date, Sen. Ted Cruz has called El-Sayed a “jihadist leprechaun,” said that “Americans will die” if he were placed on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and warned that if he learned that a group of terrorists were about to be apprehended, he would “let those terrorists know.”
2026-11-01 · The Bulwark
Is the Islamophobic Campaign Against El-Sayed Working? · assertive framing

Claims (13 extracted, 0 hedged)

MICHIGAN HAS ONE OF THE FEW Senate races where Democrats seem poised to underperform the national environment. asserted
Democrats → have → environment
Part of that is because the party’s internecine fighting simply won’t die, and no one involved—from Abdul El-Sayed to his primary opponent Haley Stevens to her fiancé Jason Turkish—seems inclined to end it. asserted
one → die → it
But another part is owed to the cartoonishly bigoted attacks that the Republicans have directed at El-Sayed. asserted
Republicans → owe → Sayed
To date, Sen. Ted Cruz has called El-Sayed a “jihadist leprechaun,” said that “Americans will die” if he were placed on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and warned that if he learned that a group of terrorists were about to be apprehended, he would “let those terrorists know.” asserted
terrorists → call → terrorists
Cruz and other Republicans (including Rogers) have claimed El-Sayed is a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood. asserted
Sayed → include → Brotherhood
Sen. Bernie Moreno has said we can’t have a senator who hasn’t accepted Jesus as his savior.1 asserted
who → say → savior.1
And a speaker at a recent Trump rally said that having an American birth certificate doesn’t make El-Sayed an American. asserted
Sayed → say → certificate
Mike Rogers claimed in a debate that El-Sayed “can’t condemn Hamas.”2 asserted
Sayed → claim → Hamas
A Senate Leadership Fund ad claimed El-Sayed wanted to impose sharia law in the United States. asserted
Sayed → claim → States
This is, to put a fine point on it, the most bigoted Senate campaign in modern history. asserted
This → put → history
Which raises an ominous question: Will it work? asserted
it → raise → question
To help find out, we convened one last focus group: ten Michiganders who voted for Trump in 2024 but now disapprove of his job performance. asserted
who → help → performance
Like Stevens’s household, they were pretty divided on El-Sayed, mainly because, likely thanks to some of those attack ads, they distrust him. asserted
they → divide → him
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