El-Sayed Rejects 'Dual Loyalty' Smear as Michigan Race Heats Up

Abdul El-Sayed told a town hall audience that his Constitution, not his faith, guides him. He made that point after an attendee repeatedly pressed him to reject the Muslim Brotherhood. Now Michigan’s Democratic Senate nominee is heading to Detroit to rally Black voters and show his party stands together.

El-Sayed planned a Sunday get-out-the-vote event with other members of the Democratic statewide ticket. The goal: reach Black voters and project unity. Meanwhile, Republican nominee Mike Rogers was making a strong push into that same core Democratic constituency and was scheduled to appear on CNN’s “State of the Union” that morning.

A Town Hall Turns Tense

Saturday’s exchange got heated. The attendee kept demanding that El-Sayed disavow the Islamist political movement. El-Sayed did, then criticized the questioner for suggesting “dual loyalty.”

“You assume ... that because I am Muslim, that somehow I would have some allegiance to something that is not our Constitution,” El-Sayed said. “For me, that Constitution is the guiding light.”

El-Sayed could become the first Muslim elected to the Senate. Republicans have accused him of sympathy for interests connected to Islamic terror. Rogers and President Donald Trump both commented in recent days on possible links between El-Sayed and the organization. Earlier in the week, El-Sayed denied that he or his family had any ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, calling it “an insane thing to assume.”

The latest criticism followed the resurfacing of old tweets by his half-sister. In one 2012 post, from 14 years ago, she described “an amazing talk with my mom about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early 70s while she was in college.”

Texas: Corporate Backing and a Concert

In Texas, one of the Senate’s most closely watched contests pits Republican Ken Paxton against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico. Both planned competing events Sunday evening.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsed Paxton as he works to consolidate traditional Republican support. “The choice is clear in Texas,” said Neil Bradley, the Chamber’s executive vice president and chief policy officer. “Attorney General Ken Paxton has been a defender of free enterprise and the pro-growth policies that empower American businesses to thrive.”

Paxton beat the Chamber’s preferred candidate, Sen. John Cornyn, in a contentious primary runoff. Cornyn still hasn’t endorsed him. Trump, who backed Paxton in the primary, said Thursday that Cornyn was “doing everything possible to make it hard” for Paxton to win in November.

Paxton has built his general-election campaign around economic issues, proposing new tax deductions to lower living costs. He’s also criticized Talarico for voting against a 2019 bill, seven years ago, to constitutionally ban an income tax in Texas, which currently has none. Talarico is trying to become the first Democrat to win statewide office in decades.

On Saturday night, The Chicks brought Talarico onstage at a San Antonio concert. Lead vocalist Natalie Maines called him “a man with a plan.” She also pointed to an incident more than a decade ago in which Paxton reportedly pocketed a $1,000 pen. Paxton’s campaign said it was a mix-up.

Talarico, a former sixth-grade language arts teacher in San Antonio, said it was “so good” to be back. He praised the band’s “courage, conviction, and a willingness to speak truth to power.” The band, formerly the Dixie Chicks, faced boycotts in the early 2000s after Maines said at a 2003 concert, 23 years ago, that the group was “ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.” Country radio stations across the country pulled their music.

Anger Over Corruption and Cost of Living

According to the live coverage, Republicans were privately grappling with voter anger over “corrupt politicians” and billionaires, alongside worries about the cost of living and foreign policy. Corruption appeared to be hurting the GOP as it tries to keep the House. Sen. Bernie Sanders and other leading Democratic surrogates were back on the trail.

Thousands attended “No Kings: Vote Early” events nationwide Saturday. Organizers said the gatherings aimed to oppose voter-suppression efforts and help people plan to vote, though anti-Trump sentiment was also on display. In Washington, people gathered near the site of Trump’s proposed triumphal arch.

“There is an ongoing effort to undermine democracy in this country,” said Peter Jipp, a retired climate scientist. “The billionaires are funding this, and the people need to take power back into our own hands.”

Jeremiah Fuentes, an 18-year-old Georgetown University freshman from Indiana, said he was “really excited” to vote for the first time. He named immigration and affordability as his top issues. “I come from a Hispanic household and ... a family of immigrants so (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and the raids that have happened are definitely impactful for me and my community,” he said. “And then the economy, you know, it’s unaffordable.”

In Marietta, Georgia, demonstrators gathered at an intersection with signs criticizing Trump and urging people to vote. The election is less than two weeks away.

Why This Matters: The Michigan exchange shows how a candidate’s faith can become a line of attack in a Senate race. El-Sayed put the Constitution at the center of his answer, while his rebuke of the “dual loyalty” charge raises a question about what scrutiny voters accept when a nominee is Muslim. In Texas, corporate-backed, tax-focused messaging faces a Democrat running on speaking truth to power. Both stories carry a common concern: voters are worried about affordability, immigration enforcement and who funds politics. With less than two weeks left, turnout efforts like Sunday’s Detroit rally and Saturday’s “Vote Early” events will help decide whether those concerns turn into ballots. Access to the ballot and trust in institutions are on the line alongside the seats themselves. Thousands attended the nationwide events Saturday.