Haley Stevens Campaign Accused of Sending Fake Endorsement Email Targeting Abdul El-Sayed

According to political reporter Remington Hernandez of WWMT-TV, the Stevens campaign distributed an email that mimicked the design and language of Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s “Abdul for Senate” graphics. —originated from a CNN report, but the email falsely presented the statement as a formal endorsement.

Common Dreams

El-Sayed’s campaign noted that this is not the first instance of misleading material linked to Stevens. Michigan airwaves have previously aired a super-PAC advertisement implying an endorsement from former President Barack Obama, which the campaign confirmed did not occur. The Stevens campaign has also posted the fabricated graphics on its own social-media accounts, portraying the alleged endorsement as evidence of Rogers’ support.

Common Dreams

Ben Solis of Michigan Advance described the email’s graphics as “designed to look authentic” and questioned its legality and fairness. Media critic Adam Johnson highlighted that Stevens’ largest financial backer is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) super-PAC, the United Democracy Project, whose two biggest donors—hedge-fund manager Paul Singer and WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum—are known Republican supporters. Johnson suggested the tactics aim to portray El-Sayed as unelectable.

Common Dreams

An average of four recent polls compiled by 270ToWin shows El-Sayed holding a modest lead over Rogers, a margin slightly larger than Stevens’ advantage over El-Sayed. The same reporting notes that Stevens’ campaign has relied heavily on the AIPAC-linked super-PAC for financial support.

Common Dreams

• “Mike Rogers has not endorsed Abdul just like President Obama has not endorsed Haley,” — El-Sayed's, an official — El-Sayed’s campaign official.

Common Dreams