By He didn’t say he wants to kill the Democrat he’s running against. He wants to kill a different Democrat. Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed sought to clarify a controversial remark about putting an “ogre on a pike,” saying during Monday’s Democratic primary debate that he was referring to Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), not his primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens.
The comment originated during a donor Zoom call earlier this month, when El-Sayed discussed supporting primary challenges against Democrats he views as insufficiently progressive.
“Ideally, you put one ogre on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message,” El-Sayed said, according to a report by Politico.
He is favored to win the Michigan primary and face Republican Mike Rogers in the fall.
Emerson poll | 7/26-7/27 LV
US Senate Michigan Democratic primary 2026
🟦Abdul El-Sayed 54%
🟦Haley Stevens 39% pic.twitter.com/VgiVrZHNuF— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) July 30, 2026
The remark sparked criticism within Democratic circles, with some initially believing El-Sayed was referring to Stevens, a more moderate Democrat whom he faces in Michigan’s Aug. 4 Senate primary.
During the final debate before the election, El-Sayed rejected that interpretation.
“I was referring to a guy named John Fetterman, who’s a senator from Pennsylvania who has done terrible things, got elected on a set of values, and is now completely throwing those values in the mud,” he stated.
El-Sayed, the former Michigan public health director and a leading progressive candidate, has repeatedly criticized Fetterman over the Pennsylvania senator’s outspoken support for Israel. Fetterman has said he would consider leaving the Democratic Party if it embraces an anti-Israel platform.
The exchange comes as divisions over Israel and the party’s ideological direction continue to widen among Democrats.
Legal commentator Jonathan Turley criticized El-Sayed’s explanation, arguing that changing the intended target did little to lessen the implications of the rhetoric.
“Alluding to the beheading of a staunch defender of Israel was presented as far more reasonable than mass beheading. That is what passes for a moderate in this age of rage,” Turley wrote.
Fetterman responded with humor while taking aim at El-Sayed’s politics.
Senator Fetterman responds to El-Sayed attacking his appearance, calling him an “ogre on a pike.”
“I never worked out in male modeling. Call me Senator Shrek. Whatever! This guy is really the Pontiac Platner!” pic.twitter.com/c2kh9oSZcz
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) July 28, 2026
He said he would rather be “Senator Shrek” than be associated with El-Sayed, whom he criticized as representing an emerging “pro-Hamas wing” of the Democratic Party. Fetterman also compared El-Sayed to former Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, who withdrew from his race following allegations against him.
El-Sayed’s campaign has maintained that the original comment was metaphorical and referred to mounting primary challenges against Democratic incumbents rather than advocating violence.
The controversy nevertheless adds to a growing list of inflammatory political rhetoric from the left in recent years. Since President Donald Trump’s return to office, several high-profile incidents have fueled concerns about escalating political extremism, including repeated acts of vandalism targeting Tesla dealerships and vehicles, the fatal shooting of a UnitedHealthcare executive by an alleged assailant who became a cause célèbre in some progressive circles, and an attempted assassination of Trump before the 2024 election.
Critics argue such incidents reflect an increasingly radical political climate in which violent imagery and, at times, political violence have become more common.
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