Ted Cruz Warns ‘Americans Will Die’ if Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Seat

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, stormed the campaign trail in Michigan on Wednesday, delivering a stark warning about Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and the national security risks Cruz says his election would pose.

Campaigning for Republican nominee Mike Rogers, Cruz told supporters there was a danger voters may not have considered: the way the Senate assigns its committee seats.

Cruz argued that if El-Sayed wins, nothing would prevent Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer from placing him on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which oversees the nation’s most sensitive classified information.

Cruz said that if he is correct that El-Sayed supports the Muslim Brotherhood, there is a “very real risk that Americans will die as a result.”

The remarks build on accusations Cruz made last week on Fox News’ “Hannity,” where he said he believes El-Sayed is aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood and warned of an unacceptably high risk to American service members and covert intelligence assets if El-Sayed gained access to classified material. Cruz also claimed El-Sayed lied about his ties to the group during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Rogers, a former congressman and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has accused El-Sayed of having family ties to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. The allegations stem from past social media posts by El-Sayed’s half-sister boasting of links to the organization.

El-Sayed has flatly denied any ties to the group. He has said he was not raised by his birth mother, who has been linked to the Muslim Brotherhood in various reports. At a recent rally in Caro, Michigan, El-Sayed was asked to denounce the organization.

The Muslim Brotherhood is a pan-Islamist movement founded in Egypt in 1928 that includes extremist offshoots. The Trump administration has moved to designate certain branches of the group as terrorist organizations.

Democrats and Muslim advocacy groups have condemned the attacks, accusing Republicans of using El-Sayed’s religion as a political weapon and noting there is no established public evidence that he is a member of the organization. El-Sayed would be the first Muslim to serve in the U.S. Senate if elected.
The race has drawn national attention since El-Sayed, a progressive physician and former Detroit health director, won the Democratic primary in August. His campaign has also faced scrutiny over his association with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, who has campaigned alongside him.

Cruz has made El-Sayed a frequent target. During a speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas earlier this fall, the Texas senator singled out El-Sayed and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani while warning about the spread of Sharia law in the United States. A Texas super PAC linked to Cruz has also run ads opposing El-Sayed.

The open Michigan seat, vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, is one of the most closely watched races in the country and could help determine which party controls the Senate next year.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.