BS BRIEF:
- Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is under fire after audio obtained by Politico captured him saying he’d like to put “one ogre on a pike” while discussing primary challenges against Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.
- Fetterman responded with trademark humor, quipping, “I pick being Senator Shrek over being the Pontiac Platner any day,” while El-Sayed’s campaign insisted he was speaking metaphorically about challenging Democrats he believes have strayed from progressive priorities.
FETTERMAN FIRES BACK AFTER PROGRESSIVE RIVAL’S ‘OGRE ON A PIKE’ REMARK IGNITES DEMOCRAT FEUD
WASHINGTON — Democrats are once again proving that some of their fiercest political fights aren’t against Republicans—they’re against each other.
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is facing widespread criticism after remarks made during a donor Zoom call in which he discussed challenging fellow Democrats and used imagery that immediately drew condemnation from across the political spectrum.
According to audio obtained by Politico, El-Sayed told supporters that he wanted to make an example of lawmakers he believes have drifted away from the progressive movement.
“If I win… well y’all came at me so now I get to come at you.”
Discussing Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, El-Sayed continued:
“Primarying people like John Fetterman, I have no problem to do that.”
Then came the line that dominated Monday’s political conversation.
“Ideally you put one ogre on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message, and all of a sudden starts to sound a lot different.”
Rather than responding with outrage, Fetterman answered with the kind of self-deprecating humor that has become one of his political trademarks.
“I pick being Senator Shrek over being the Pontiac Platner any day.”
The comment referenced former Michigan Senate candidate Graham Platner while poking fun at El-Sayed’s description.
Fetterman and El-Sayed have frequently clashed over Israel policy and the Democratic Party’s broader direction, making the latest exchange another chapter in an ongoing ideological divide.
Facing criticism, El-Sayed’s campaign maintained that the candidate was not making a literal threat.nA campaign spokesperson told Politico he was “speaking metaphorically” about his desire to politically defeat Democrats he believes no longer represent progressive voters.
Still, the explanation did little to quiet criticism.
Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., who has endorsed El-Sayed’s primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, issued a sharply worded response.
“Violent, vulgar threats have no place in a democratic electoral contest.”
She continued:
“With political violence on the rise, we need to be doing everything we can to lower the temperature—not raise it.”
El-Sayed has positioned himself as a leading progressive voice in Michigan, while Fetterman has increasingly frustrated activists on the left with his outspoken support for Israel and willingness to criticize elements of his own party.
The result has been an increasingly public civil war within Democratic ranks, where ideological disagreements are often playing out just as fiercely as battles with Republicans.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- Politico — Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s donor call remarks spark backlash
- Mediaite — Fetterman Hits Back After Progressive Senate Candidate Threatens to Put An ‘Ogre on a Pike’
- Statements from Sen. John Fetterman, Rep. Hillary Scholten and Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign regarding the controversy.
