Bernie Sanders says the billionaire class is targeting Abdul El-Sayed

Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vt., swiped at Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., on Friday, said Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary is not about her but about whether the “billionaire class” can stop incumbent Abdul El-Sayed.

Sanders delivered remarks at the Detroit Campaign on Friday alongside El-Sayed, who will face Stevens in the Aug. 4 election.

“With all due respect to Haley Stevens, everyone knows this is not an election between her and Abdul,” Sanders said. “This is an election between Abdul and the millionaire class. That’s what this election is all about.”

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Sanders said wealthy donors and outside groups have poured an unprecedented amount of money into the race to defeat El-Sayed, endorsing him as one of the leading candidates for the Senate this cycle.

“The billionaire class, which has already – and it’s two weeks before the election – has spent $50 million against him,” Sanders said. “Now I want everyone here in the whole state, people to turn on the TV and see all these ads, I want you to ask yourself a simple question: Why are the richest people in the country spending tens of millions of dollars to defeat Abdul El-Sayed?”

Sanders said outside groups outspent El-Sayed’s campaign by a 12-to-1 ratio, citing the flood of spending as evidence that powerful interests view the candidate as a threat.

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Candidate for Michigan US Sen., Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., speaks to the media after a debate at WoodTV studios Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Grand Rapids, Mich. (AP Photo/Kristen Norman)

The Michigan Senate primary has emerged as one of the most closely watched Democratic contests of the 2026 cycle, highlighting a growing divide between the party’s progressive and establishment wings. El-Sayed has been endorsed by Sanders and other prominent progressives, while Stevens has the support of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and recently received the endorsement of Sen. Gary Peters is retired.

Stevens has been representing Michigan’s 11th district since 2019 after serving on Obama’s auto industry team.

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The woman has drawn attention to her campaign in recent days after strange comments went viral on the internet. In one viral clip, Stevens was mocked online as critics compared his animated campaign speech to an old “Saturday Night Live” sketch featuring Chris Farley’s “van down by the river” character.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., has abandoned his neutrality in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, supporting U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, pictured left, as party leaders protested to prevent incumbent challenger Abdul El-Sayed, pictured right, from winning the nomination. (AP Photo/Kristen Norman)

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The viral moment also drew attention to a 2020 House floor speech when Stevens, wearing pink latex gloves during the COVID-19 crisis, continued to speak after the allotted time expired as the speaker pro tempore repeatedly announced that he was “off the clock” and hit the gavel.

The Senate race was tightened after state Sen. Mallory McMorrow ended her campaign earlier this month, leaving Stevens and El-Sayed in a closely watched race that many Democrats see as a battle for the party’s future. The winner is expected to face Republican Mike Rogers in November.