Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed admits destroying liquor bottle
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Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed admitted in a recent podcast that he damaged property at a Detroit liquor store because of his remarks about the length of his beard, an indicator of religious observance among Muslim communities.
“‘Are you Muslim?’ he says. I said ‘Yes’. ‘Well, your beard is too short,’ he said. ‘Okay, will you judge me?’ I said. OK, give me a second, I forgot something,'” El-Sayed said as he leaned left YouTube show “Intellectually unimportant.”
“So I go back, grab a fifth of the vodka and put it on the counter. He said, ‘Hey, you can’t buy that,’ and I said, ‘You’re right and you can’t sell it.’ So I slammed it on the ground and walked out.”
The account is emerging as a new line of attack for some Republicans in the closely watched Senate race.
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Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, speaks at an event. (Monica Morgan/Getty Images)
Hunter Lovell, spokesman for the Republican National Committee (RNC), believes the organization has shown a willingness to be aggressive on matters of faith.
“Abdul El-Sayed thinks he’s getting a free pass by using his religion as a way to promote violent extremism,” Lovell said. “In reality, Michigan voters see a deeply disturbed man with anger management issues who is nowhere close to running for the United States Senate.”
El-Sayed’s campaign did not address the liquor store incident when asked about Lovell’s comments.
“Yes – Abdul is angry on behalf of the people. Unlike Trump, who seems more focused on the ballroom curtains, Abdul gets angry when ordinary people are exploited,” campaign spokeswoman Roxie Richner told Fox News Digital.
El-Sayed finds himself in a heated three-way Democratic primary to replace outgoing Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich.
Voters will soon have to choose between him, progressive Mallory McMorrow, a state legislator, and Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), a more establishment-leaning candidate.
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U.S. Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow campaigns at the Michigan Democratic Nominating Convention. McMorrow is currently a member of the Michigan Senate. (Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
El-Sayed has positioned himself as the most left-leaning of the three, espousing views such as “Medicare for All,” free college education, and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
El-Sayed, in particular, has come under criticism for opposing the current US partnership with Israel, citing humanitarian concerns during the war in Gaza.
He also faced scrutiny for campaigning with political commentator and media personality Hasan Piker, who described Hamas, which the US designates as a terrorist group, as the “lesser of two evils” in its war with Israel and said the US “deserved 9/11”.
El-Sayed himself has made clear that he condemns all forms of religious violence.
Following an attack on a Temple Israel synagogue in Michigan in early 2026, El-Sayed called it an act of “terrorism.”
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Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed poses for a portrait on Saturday, February 21, 2026, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Evan Cobb of The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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“He was an Arab American and a Muslim. I condemn what he did. There is never justification for attacking innocent people or places of worship. Never,” El-Sayed said in a press release. he said.
Michigan Senate primary elections will be held on August 4.
