Democratic megadonor Jason Turkish backs Republican Mike Rogers over El-Sayed in Michigan Senate race

Jason Turkish, a Democratic lawyer and megadonor, said he will vote for Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s Senate race. Turkish is the fiancé of Democratic U.S. Representative Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed.

Turkish made his announcement at a Republican Jewish Coalition event held at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan, on Wednesday evening. He did not speak at the event but told reporters just before it began that he considers El-Sayed antisemitic.

“He’s beyond antisemitic. He hates Jews.”

Turkish cited El-Sayed’s refusal to say whether Iran or Israel poses a bigger threat to the United States. He also criticized the Democrat for only softly distancing himself from a PAC ad that blamed Israel for grocery prices.

“This choice for me, in the end, was very simple,” Turkish told reporters. He added that history will not remember Abdul El-Sayed kindly.

Rogers, a former congressman, welcomed the endorsement and said he loved it. From the stage, Rogers described El-Sayed as beyond antisemitic and said he hates Jews.

Stevens has publicly endorsed El-Sayed after her primary loss but has not campaigned with him for several months. Former Stevens campaign chair David Kramer also said he would not support El-Sayed in November.