Michigan Senate candidate El-Sayed defends ogre remark

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul ElSayed declined to apologize Monday night for a leaked remark in which he said progressives should put "one ogre on a pike," instead clarifying that the comment was directed at Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, not his primary opponent. The controversy erupted during the final televised debate before the state's August 4 primary, where ElSayed is competing against U.S. Representative Haley Stevens for the party's nomination to replace retiring Senator Gary Peters.

The remark originated from a recent Zoom meeting with donors, audio of which was obtained and published by Politico. In the recording, ElSayed discussed using a potential Senate victory to build a national platform to move the Democratic Party further left, including supporting a primary challenge against Fetterman in 2028. "Ideally, you put one ogre on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message," ElSayed said, describing it as a metaphorical warning to Democrats who stray from progressive values.

Pressed during the debate on whether he regretted the rhetoric, ElSayed defended the substance of his criticism. "I was referring to a guy named John Fetterman, who's a...