Michigan Senate Democratic candidate Mallory McMorrow said on Sunday that deleting thousands of tweets trashing rural America reflects her authenticity rather than an effort to hide her past.
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/29/politics/kfile-mallory-mcmorrow-deleted-tweets">A CNN report</a> this week found that the Senate hopeful had deleted about 6,000 tweets — including posts mocking Middle America and bending the truth about where she was living, working, and voting. 
In a recent autobiography, McMorrow said she moved to Michigan in 2014, but on social media, she described herself as a California resident in 2016 and voted in California’s June 2016 primary, according to CNN. 
 Reporter Manu Raju pressed McMorrow on the contradictions. 
 “And I don’t need to tell you, but of course, you’re required to vote in the state where you’re a resident. So why were you voting in California two years after moving to Michigan?” Raju asked.
 &#8220;Like a lot of millennials, moving takes time,&#8221; McMorrow said, describing a &#8220;two-year process&#8221; before settling in Michigan from Southern California. &#8220;I registered to vote in Michigan in August of 2016 and voted in the general election in November that year.&#8221;
 McMorrow dodged when asked whether she should have voted in California while claiming to live in Michigan.
&#8220;We still had our place out in Southern California, and as I mentioned, we had multiple jobs. Moving is ugly. I wish we could have just up and moved in one fell swoop, but that&#8217;s not the case, just like it is for a lot of people,&#8221; she said. 
 Raju noted that in 2024, McMorrow criticized another Twitter user for voting in Michigan after moving to California.
 &#8220;You called it illegal then,&#8221; Raju told McMorrow. 
 &#8220;Yeah, absolutely, if you are doing that intentionally, after moving permanently to a place that is illegal,&#8221; she said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
CNN: “Why would you be voting in California 2 years after moving to Michigan?”
MCMORROW: “Moving takes time.”
CNN: &#8220;You had criticized a Twitter user in 2024 for voting in Michigan after moving to California, you called it illegal&#8230;&#8221;
MCMORROW: “Yeah, absolutely.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/kE4xYSuXdo">pic.twitter.com/kE4xYSuXdo</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/2050927855152898198?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-dem-candidate-scrubs-social-media-after-trashing-rural-americans?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Top+Dem+Candidate+Scrubs+Social+Media+After+Trashing+Rural+Americans">Two days after President Trump </a>rocked the political establishment and defeated Hillary Clinton, the Democrat urged her followers to read a thread posted by journalist Patrick Thornton, who wrote, “All of this talk about coastal elites needing to understand more of America has it backwards.”
“It is much of white working class America that needs to reach outside its comfort zone and meet people not like them,” Thornton wrote at the time. “Many rural Americans have isolated themselves from the rest of the country. They live in very unrepresentative areas.” McMorrow said the thread “rings 100%.”
McMorrow, who currently serves in the Michigan State Senate, framed her comments as evidence of her authenticity. 
 &#8220;Was it the most eloquent tweet I&#8217;ve ever tweeted? No, I&#8217;ve tweeted 1000s of times. There is a level of authenticity and just grappling in the wake of the 2016 election, of how somebody like Donald Trump could have been elected.&#8221; 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Michigan Democrat Mallory McMorrow defends her tweet calling middle Americans &#8220;backwards.&#8221;
CNN: “Do you stand by that sentiment that rural parts of America can learn from coastal elites?”
MCMORROW: &#8220;I stand by that.&#8221;
That’s the quiet part out loud. <a href="https://t.co/objg7VHcSy">pic.twitter.com/objg7VHcSy</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/2050934343820833117?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
In another tweet, McMorrow drew comparisons between Nazi Germany and the Trump Administration, a view she still holds today. 
“Do you personally see parallels between Nazi Germany and what’s happening under the Trump administration?” Manu Raju asked her.
&#8220;Yeah, I do. It is deeply concerning that we see an authoritarian slide,&#8221; McMorrow said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think that a lot of people would argue that there are shades of authoritarianism here that we need to be deeply concerned about.&#8221; 
The winner of the divided Democratic primary, which also includes Abdul El-Sayed and Congresswoman Haley Stevens, will likely face Republican Mike Rogers in the general election.
&#8220;I tweeted normal things, like a normal person, and people are desperate for authenticity, so that is what we need in November,&#8221; McMorrow said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
CNN: “Why would you be voting in California 2 years after moving to Michigan?”
MCMORROW: “Moving takes time.”
CNN: &#8220;You had criticized a Twitter user in 2024 for voting in Michigan after moving to California, you called it illegal&#8230;&#8221;
MCMORROW: “Yeah, absolutely.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/kE4xYSuXdo">pic.twitter.com/kE4xYSuXdo</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/2050927855152898198?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2026</a></blockquote>

Mallory McMorrow

Middle America-Hating Dem Calls For Authenticity. But What Happened To Her 6,000 Tweets?

Democrat

Michigan

Politics

One of the leading Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate in Michigan is playing defense after a CNN report revealed that she purged thousands of tweets, including posts in which she disparaged Middle America after President Donald Trump&#8217;s 2016 election victory.
McMorrow, who currently serves in the Michigan Senate, deleted around 6,000 social media posts, including tweets in which she said she missed living in California and fantasized about the coasts breaking off from Middle America. The New York Post was the first to <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/04/us-news/senate-dem-candidate-mallory-mcmorrow-defended-coastal-elites-dreamed-of-national-divorce-from-middle-america/">report</a> on some of McMorrow&#8217;s ramblings last year.
Two days after Trump shocked Democrats and defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democrat urged her followers to read a thread posted by journalist Patrick Thornton, who wrote, “All of this talk about coastal elites needing to understand more of America has it backwards.”
“It is much of white working class America that needs to reach outside its comfort zone and meet people not like them,” Thornton wrote at the time. “Many rural Americans have isolated themselves from the rest of the country. They live in very unrepresentative areas.” McMorrow said the thread “rings 100%.”
A month later, McMorrow fantasized about coastal states divorcing Middle America.
“I had a dream that the U.S. amicably broke off into The Ring (coasts + Can + Mex + parts Mich/Tex) and Middle America. Oh and The Ring nominated Obama as Prime Minister and everyone was given $1,000 and six months to pick a side,&#8221; she posted.
The Daily Wire reached out to McMorrow&#8217;s campaign, requesting comment.
The CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/29/politics/kfile-mallory-mcmorrow-deleted-tweets">report</a> also raises questions about McMorrow&#8217;s claim that she moved to Michigan from California in 2014, as social media posts suggest she was still living in Los Angeles and voting in California elections as late as 2016. In her autobiography, McMorrow wrote that she “relocated permanently” to Michigan in 2014.
In January 2017 — the month that Trump was sworn in for his first term — a social media user posted, &#8220;California should have its own diplomats [to] make sure we don’t get nuked because of morons from the other side of the country.&#8221; McMorrow responded to the post, writing, “There are days like these that make me miss California even more.”
Just a few months later, McMorrow launched her state Senate bid and said, &#8220;Choosing to put roots down right here in Michigan is the best decision I’ve ever made.&#8221;
In another tweet, McMorrow quipped that she was &#8220;pushing for [a] future where we don’t own cars,&#8221; adding, &#8220;Cars are dead.&#8221; McMorrow is now running to represent the largest car-manufacturing state in the country. A spokeswoman for McMorrow told CNN that &#8220;Mallory started her career as a car designer and doesn’t want to ban cars. She’s been repeatedly endorsed by auto unions.&#8221;
McMorrow&#8217;s communications director, Hannah Lindow, said that her state Senate campaign team deleted her tweets prior to 2020, arguing that it&#8217;s &#8220;pretty standard for candidates.&#8221; Lindow also defended the posts, saying they &#8220;are normal tweets by a normal person.&#8221;
McMorrow was blasted by her Democrat opponents following the CNN report. Democratic Senate candidate and current Rep. Haley Stevens shared the report on McMorrow&#8217;s past comments, <a href="https://x.com/HaleyforMI/status/2049523901655376317">writing</a>, &#8220;So what actually ticks me off? Someone who wants that job—representing Michiganders—talking crap about us and our state.&#8221;
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, another Michigan Democratic Senate candidate, <a href="https://x.com/AbdulElSayed/status/2049535379775115678">wrote</a> on Wednesday, &#8220;Born in Michigan, hallelujah. Raised in Michigan, hallelujah. Believe cars should exist, hallelujah.&#8221;
The Democratic Senate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-senate-race-democrats-have-controlled-for-decades-now-its-wide-open">primary</a> in Michigan remains a close contest, with McMorrow, Stevens, and El-Sayed running neck-and-neck, according to the latest <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/polls/michigan-us-senate-election-polls-2026.html">polls</a>. Each of the top three Democratic candidates in the race has faced controversies since launching their Senate campaigns.
In December, a video posted by Townhall <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senate-hopeful-says-shed-throw-beer-at-conservative-justices-lacks-self-control">showed</a> McMorrow suggesting that she would throw beer in the faces of conservative Supreme Court justices if she saw them in public.
El-Sayed has also faced scrutiny during the heated 2026 campaign after he deleted numerous social media posts, including some in which he called to &#8220;defund the police&#8221; and referred to police as &#8220;standing armies.&#8221; El-Sayed has also campaigned with Marxist streamer Hasan Piker, who once said that &#8220;America deserved 9/11.&#8221;
Stevens, meanwhile, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-dem-files-articles-of-impeachment-against-rfk-jr-and-even-her-own-party-is-trashing-her">rebuked</a> by Democratic leadership after she filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a move some of her Democratic colleagues viewed as a political stunt.
The winner of the Democratic primary, which will be held on August 4, will likely face Republican Mike Rogers, who has all but secured the GOP nomination. Michigan has not elected a Republican senator since 1994.

Top Dem Candidate Scrubs Social Media After Trashing Rural Americans

2026 Midterms

Democrats

The mistress and former assistant of disgraced ex-Michigan coach Sherrone Moore spoke out Friday in her first televised interview since Moore&#8217;s December arrest on stalking and home invasion charges.
Paige Shiver, 32, appearing on <a href="https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/assistant-felt-trapped-relationship-fired-michigan-coach-knew-132314433">Good Morning America,</a> reflected on her relationship with Moore, 40, describing it as controlling, and said she felt pressured throughout the affair, which began while she worked under Moore.
Shiver said she became pregnant during the relationship, but medical professionals encouraged her to abort the unborn child.
&#8220;Multiple doctors and experts told me that it wouldn&#8217;t be right or healthy for me to keep the baby,&#8221; Shiver said. Recalling how Moore responded to the news, she said he told her, &#8220;You have to do what&#8217;s right for your body.&#8221;
Shiver, who has Pompe disease, a serious muscle-weakening condition, said the relationship began in 2022 when she was an intern with the Michigan football program and Moore was the team&#8217;s offensive coordinator. In 2024, after Moore was promoted to head coach following Jim Harbaugh&#8217;s departure to the NFL, Shiver became his executive assistant.
Shiver said she initially believed she loved Moore but now sees the relationship differently.
&#8220;Looking back at things and really reflecting on what happened, what was happening &#8230; it&#8217;s not love at all,&#8221; Shiver said.
She said she tried to end the relationship multiple times but felt unable to do so because of Moore&#8217;s influence over her career.
&#8220;He and other coaches had control over my career, especially him,&#8221; Shiver said. &#8220;He could fire me in a second.&#8221;
Shiver also claimed Moore repeatedly pressured her to stay, telling her his life would fall apart without her.
&#8220;Every time I tried to pull away, he always had a story&#8230;always had a way to pull me in and making me feel that I couldn&#8217;t leave him because he was so miserable without me,&#8221; Shiver said.
The relationship came to a screeching halt after Shiver reported the affair to university officials. Moore was subsequently fired as Michigan&#8217;s head coach, where he had been earning $5.5 million annually.
Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel cited an &#8220;inappropriate relationship&#8221; with a staffer as the reason for Moore&#8217;s termination.
Shortly after his firing, Moore broke into Shiver’s home, where she says he grabbed butter knives and scissors, then threatened to kill himself.
&#8220;I hear footsteps, and they’re getting closer and louder … I run to my door to lock it, and he barges in,&#8221; Shiver said. &#8220;He comes in with his hood up, looking down at me, saying I ruined his life and is crying.&#8221;
Moore was initially charged with home invasion and stalking, offenses that carried potential prison time. But those charges were dropped last week as part of a plea deal. Moore pleaded no contest to trespassing and malicious use of a telecommunication device.
He was sentenced to 18 months&#8217; probation and ordered not to contact Shiver.
Moore&#8217;s wife, Kelli, has stood by him during his court appearances.
Shiver said she believes the punishment was insufficient.
&#8220;I think he should have gotten more punishment for what he did,&#8221; she said.
Shiver is no longer employed by the university. Moore was replaced by former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham.

Credit: Good Morning America

Tearful Mistress Says She Had To Abort Baby During Affair With Former Michigan Coach

College Football

News

Sherrone Moore

Sports

America is watching Michigan.
Extreme far-Left organizations are embracing and influencing Democrat candidates across our ticket. U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is attending rallies with Hasan Piker. Current secretary of state and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson is the star operative of a group indicted by the Department of Justice for funding extreme, neo-Nazi organizations.
I’m running for governor of Michigan because the state that has decided the last four presidential elections is about to face the most consequential gubernatorial race in the country.
Jocelyn Benson has already manipulated Michigan’s elections twice. At 19 years old, she <a href="https://19thnews.org/2026/03/jocelyn-benson-michigan-viola-liuzzo-civil-rights/">interned</a> for the Southern Poverty Law Center&#8217;s (SPLC) Intelligence Project, supposedly learning how to <a href="https://enjoyer.com/jocelyn-benson-splc-journalist-neo-nazi/">infiltrate</a> neo-Nazi organizations. Yesterday, that organization was indicted.
In 2020, Benson mailed absentee ballot applications to every registered voter in Michigan, not every active voter, but every registered voter, whether or not they still lived there. She instructed election clerks statewide to presume the validity of every mail-in ballot without verifying signatures. A nonprofit she founded received a $12 million <a href="https://enjoyer.com/jocelyn-benson-center-for-election-law/">Zuckerbucks</a> grant on the eve of that election and funneled it to Democrat-aligned political operatives whose sole job was turning out Democrat voters. Her order instructing clerks to stop verifying signatures was found illegal in 2021. Rather than face consequences, she was rewarded with a Presidential Citizens Medal from President Joe Biden.
She issued the same order in 2024. Federal courts struck it down again. She then <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/09/rfk-jr-loses-attempt-to-withdraw-from-michigan-ballot-00178095">deliberately</a> kept Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on the Michigan ballot after he had formally withdrawn and endorsed President Trump, a calculated attempt to split the conservative vote and hand Michigan to Kamala Harris. Judge David McKeague of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals did not mince words: &#8220;In defiance of the U.S. Constitution and state election law, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson <a href="https://enjoyer.com/judge-jocelyn-benson-manipulated-the-presidential-ballot-in-michigan/">manipulated</a> the presidential ballot in Michigan.&#8221; A second Sixth Circuit judge agreed her actions had already cast doubt over the integrity of Michigan&#8217;s electoral process.
Millions of patriots in Michigan turned out to vote and made the 2026 too big to rig, and President Trump went on to carry Michigan. Now, Benson wants a promotion. And she is still serving as secretary of state, overseeing the very election in which she is running. That alone should disqualify her.
To understand Jocelyn Benson, you have to understand the organization that built her.
The SPLC is not a civil rights organization. It was a machine built to manufacture division, fundraise off fear, and deploy operatives to use racial chaos as a path to institutional power. Its co-founder admitted that the organization&#8217;s overriding purpose was making money. The DOJ just confirmed the method: manufacture the hatred, point at it publicly, collect the donations, and cut checks to the people doing the hating.
Benson started with SPLC at 19 and became a <a href="https://legalnews.com/Home/Articles?DataId=1396214">board</a> member in 2014. She did not stumble into this organization; she was built by it. And she carried everything it taught her directly into Michigan&#8217;s secretary of state office.
Just this week, the DOJ indicted the SPLC on 11 federal counts for secretly paying at least $3 million to members of the Ku Klux Klan, the National Socialist Party of America, the United Klans of America, and the Aryan Nations — some payments which began the same year Benson joined their board. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was direct: &#8220;The SPLC was not dismantling these groups. It was instead manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred.&#8221;
Not fighting it. Manufacturing it.
They labeled Moms for Liberty an extremist group. They put the Family Research Council, a mainstream Christian policy organization, on their hate map. They designated Turning Point USA alongside the KKK in their public database before Charlie Kirk was shot and killed.
That is the machine that built Jocelyn Benson.
The Trump DOJ has sued Benson for refusing to hand over voter registration records required by federal law, including those for over 17,000 registered voters age 100 or older. Michigan has registered 105 percent of its adult population to vote. She was held in contempt by the Michigan House for refusing to turn over basic election training manuals that would reveal how clerks were instructed to process ballots.
The state that decides presidential elections cannot have its ballots managed by someone federal judges have already called a manipulator. We cannot let her Spanberger our Michigan. We have too much at stake from the top to the bottom of the ticket
Jocelyn Benson is not an outlier. She is the next generation of Democrat operatives, trained to divide, manufacture threats, suppress opposition, and acquire power.
Michigan gave my family a shot at the American dream. By the grace of God, I am running for governor to make sure that promise is real again for every family in this state, not just the ones with the right political connections. My purpose has always been to use my blessings to be a blessing to others. That is what took me to Baghdad. That is what brought me home to build. That is what sent me to Congress. And that is what is calling me to Lansing.
Jocelyn Benson was built by a machine that profits from division. I was built by Michigan and called by God to serve it. My loyalty is to my Creator, my country, and the families of this great state. Not to a machine. Not to a party. To the people.
Michigan, America is watching.
***
John James is a West Point graduate, Ranger qualified Apache combat pilot, Iraq War veteran, Michigan job creator, and U.S. Congressman from Michigan&#8217;s 10th District. He is a candidate for governor of Michigan.

Voters Cast Their Ballot In The Michigan Presidential Primary Election

The SPLC’s Star Operative Wants To Run Michigan — The State That Decides Presidential Elections

DW Opinion

Elections

Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is facing significant pushback after making a sweeping claim about how unions feel about President Donald Trump.
“You know who’s never caved to Trump’s tyranny? Unions,” the Democrat posted to X on Sunday, alongside a clip highlighting his backing from labor groups.
The post was quickly hit with a fact-check on the platform, noting: “Contrary to the claim, Teamsters President Sean O&#8217;Brien spoke at the 2024 RNC and endorsed Trump&#8217;s DHS nominee Markwayne Mullin,” along with links to NPR and WSBT reports.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
You know who’s never caved to Trump’s tyranny? Unions. <a href="https://t.co/4xS8Hi9NPZ">pic.twitter.com/4xS8Hi9NPZ</a>
— Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) <a href="https://twitter.com/AbdulElSayed/status/2045846799991124137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, one of the largest labor unions in the United States, represents 1.3 million members, including truckers. The union’s Detroit branch alone has roughly 36,000 members, according to the <a href="https://unionfacts.com/union/teamsters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Center for Union Facts</a>.
While O’Brien was vocal about his support, the union itself did not formally endorse a presidential candidate in 2024. However, <a href="https://teamster.org/2024/09/teamsters-release-presidential-endorsement-polling-data/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">internal polling</a> showed “rank-and-file” members favored Trump by nearly 60%, compared to just 34% for then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
O’Brien also thanked Trump for nominating Lori Chavez-DeRemer to lead the Department of Labor.
“You put words into action. Now let’s grow wages and improve working conditions nationwide,” O’Brien wrote in a <a href="https://x.com/TeamsterSOB/status/1860118006820479289">post</a> at the time. “North America’s strongest union is ready to work with you every step of the way to expand good union jobs and rebuild our nation’s middle class. Let’s get to work!”
Left-leaning users on X quickly pointed out the Teamsters poll, while others criticized the sentiment of the candidate’s post overall.
Transportation writer <a href="https://x.com/sam_d_1995/status/2046073281430614394?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sam Deutsch</a> responded with an image of the Teamsters poll, simply commenting, “hmmm.”
“I don’t think this is factually accurate,” Bloomberg columnist <a href="https://x.com/mattyglesias/status/2046043144580440337?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matthew Yglesias</a> added.
“The head of the Teamsters spoke at the RNC and that union refused to endorse democrats in 2024 after the Biden Administration literally bailed out their pension fund but ooooook,” commentator <a href="https://x.com/hutchinson/status/2046043818253042088?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Hutch”</a> wrote.
Some users even posted pictures of O’Brien speaking at the Republican National Committee and meeting with Trump.
Other unions, including the National Border Patrol Council and the National Fraternal Order of Police, also backed Trump&#8217;s 2024 campaign.
The Daily Wire reached out to El-Sayed’s campaign for comment.
El-Sayed is in a hotly competitive Democratic primary against Rep. Haley Stevens and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, as Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) is retiring at the end of his term.
He has secured endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), and Ro Khanna (D-CA).
The eventual Democratic nominee will take on former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) in the general election, currently rated as a “toss-up” by the Cook Political Report.

Abdul El-Sayed

Dem Candidate Makes Anti-Trump Union Claim. Gets Called Out Almost Instantly

Congress

Senate

Democrats in Michigan nominated a Muslim attorney who has honored terrorists for a position on the University of Michigan&#8217;s Board of Regents.
At the Michigan Democratic Party&#8217;s nominating convention on Sunday night, delegates chose Amir Makled over incumbent regent Jordan Acker for a seat on the board that controls the university&#8217;s budget and leadership appointments, The Detroit News <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2026/04/19/jordan-acker-university-of-michigan-board-of-regents-amir-makled-wins-democratic-convention-vote/89691921007/">reported</a>. The contrast in the race could not have been clearer for Democratic delegates, who ultimately picked a Muslim who recently shared a post that referred to Israelis as &#8220;demons&#8221; over a Jewish regent who has faced antisemitic attacks.
Last June, Makled <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2026/04/09/university-of-michigan-regent-candidate-lawyer-amir-makled-deletes-posts-praising-hezbollah-leaders/89533176007/">shared</a> a post that called former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah a &#8220;martyr,&#8221; less than a year after Nasrallah was taken out in an Israeli airstrike. Another post shared by Makled honored Hezbollah official Abu Ali Khalil as a &#8220;martyr on the road to Jerusalem.&#8221;
In July 2025, Makled shared a post from Candace Owens, in which Owens referred to Israelis as &#8220;demons&#8221; who &#8220;lie, steal, cheat, murder, and blackmail.&#8221; The Muslim lawyer has since deleted those social media posts.
Makled secured the nomination over Acker, who has faced antisemitic threats from anti-Israel radicals following Hamas&#8217; attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. In December of 2024, Acker&#8217;s home was vandalized and damaged, and his wife&#8217;s car was spray painted with the words &#8220;Divest&#8221; and &#8220;Free Palestine.&#8221; Anti-Israel radicals also vandalized Acker&#8217;s law firm building, which police investigated as a hate crime, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/09/us/university-of-michigan-regents-vandalized-acker">reported</a>.
Last year, Acker, along with regents Mark Bernstein and Sarah Hubbard, were given 24/7 security due to threats from anti-Israel demonstrators. Makled represented anti-Israel students who were arrested and charged last year with trespassing and resisting arrest when police broke up an encampment on Michigan&#8217;s campus.
The nomination of Makled over Acker reflects a major shift in the Democratic Party throughout the country, which has seen multiple leftist Muslims elected to public office. That shift is on full display in Michigan this year as another leftist Muslim, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, is in a tight race for the Democratic nomination to the open seat for U.S. Senate. El-Sayed <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/19/politics/michigan-senate-democratic-primary">told</a> CNN over the weekend that Hamas is just as evil as the Israeli government.
The Michigan Democratic Party did not release the vote tally for Sunday&#8217;s nominating convention. For many statewide offices in Michigan, the Democratic Party chooses its nominees through delegates who meet to cast their votes at a nominating convention. Acker&#8217;s ticket-mate, Paul Brown, who has also called for punishment for anti-Israel demonstrators, was renominated to run alongside Makled in the general election.
Makled rode a wave of support from leftist University of Michigan students and campus labor unions to his nomination victory.
“This is beyond the support that I was expecting,” Makled <a href="https://www.michigandaily.com/news/administration/amir-makled-defeats-regent-jordan-acker-at-democratic-convention-to-run-alongside-incumbent-paul-brown/">said</a> after he was nominated. “This is the largest convention I’ve participated in in 20 years, and I’ve been coming to them since 2006. This really shows how much the Democratic Party has expanded the electorate and energized the base of what people want to see come November.”
Makled will face Republicans Lena Epstein and Michael Schostak in the general election on November 3.
Not all Democrats were enthused by Makled&#8217;s candidacy. Brandon Dillon, a former chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, blasted Makled and <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2026/04/17/dillon-the-democratic-party-has-no-room-for-amir-makled/89665735007/">wrote</a> in a Detroit News opinion piece that Makled&#8217;s social media posts &#8220;reflect a pattern of extremism and bigotry, all of which should be disqualifying for someone seeking one of the most powerful positions in Michigan higher education and statewide office.&#8221;
Acker faced opposition from Makled and many within the Michigan Democratic Party for his desire to hold anti-Israel radicals accountable after they intimidated Jewish students and obstructed law enforcement officers. Acker also faced scrutiny just a few days before the Democratic nominating convention when The Guardian published a report on alleged messages sent by Acker on Slack that appeared to be sexual in nature and included obscene comments about a female Michigan student.
Acker said that parts of the messages sent to The Guardian appeared to be &#8220;doctored,&#8221; adding that Acker &#8220;has never been on Slack.&#8221; Acker told The Detroit News that the allegations published in The Guardian are &#8220;ridiculous&#8221; and &#8220;fake.&#8221;

Amir Makled/University of Michigan

Dems Make A Stunning Switch And Backlash Is Building Fast

anti-Israel

Democratic Party

Jewish

Muslims

University of Michigan

Former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore will not serve jail time after being convicted of stalking his ex-mistress, Paige Shiver.
Moore was instead sentenced Tuesday to 18 months of probation by Judge Cedric Simpson in Washtenaw County Court, as The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/14/sports/ex-michigan-football-coach-sherrone-moore-sentenced-to-probation-for-stalking-incident-involving-ex-mistress/">reported</a>. The former head coach appeared in court arm-in-arm with his wife, with whom he shares three children.
Prosecutors said Moore threatened to kill himself in front of Shiver, with whom he had been having a relationship. The 40-year-old had faced charges including felony home invasion, stalking, and breaking and entering. Shiver was Moore&#8217;s executive assistant during their two-year affair.
Details of the charges were first revealed during Moore&#8217;s arraignment in December, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sherrone-moore-charged-with-home-invasion-threatened-to-kill-himself-prosecutors-say">reported</a>.
According to prosecutors, Moore forced his way into Shiver&#8217;s apartment in mid-December, grabbed several butter knives and a pair of scissors, and threatened to take his own life after repeatedly calling and texting her. 
“I am going to kill myself. I am going to make you watch. My blood is on your hands. You’ve ruined my life,” Moore said, according to prosecutors.
First Assistant Prosecutor Kati Rezmierski said Shiver, 32, was terrorized by a &#8220;series of very intimidating and terrifying statements and behaviors&#8221; inside the apartment.
Prosecutors said Shiver and Moore had been in an intimate relationship for years before she broke it off, which they argued led to Moore’s erratic behavior. 
Judge Simpson noted the seriousness of Moore’s crimes during sentencing. 
“You had no right to do what you did,” the judge stated, per the Post. “I know that [Shiver] was placed in fear. It was a traumatic experience that day for you. It was certainly a traumatic experience for her.&#8221;
“You had no right to spread your pain to her,” Simpson added. “I don’t know where your wife, Kelli, finds her strength… you, sir, took her for granted.”
Moore’s lawyer said he has taken steps to address his behavior since the incident. 
“Sherrone has engaged in counseling, gained insight into his life … recentered himself around his family and taken responsibility, expressing genuine remorse,” attorney Ellen Michaels said.
The judge ordered Moore to have no contact with Shiver. His probation is set to be reviewed in October.

Former Michigan Football Coach Sentenced After Stalking Ex-Mistress

College sports

Crime

Football

An American man will soon learn whether he&#8217;s being charged in the recent disappearance of his wife while they were boating in the Bahamas.
Brian Hooker has been in custody in Freeport since Wednesday, when authorities arrested him in relation to his missing wife, Lynette Hooker. Brian claimed that she fell overboard from their small dinghy on April 4 at sunset. Since extending Brian&#8217;s custody an additional 72 hours on Friday, Bahamian officials have a deadline of 7:20 p.m. local time to either release Brian or charge him in connection to his wife&#8217;s disappearance, according to his lawyer, Terel Butler.
From the beginning, Brian has denied any foul play and insisted that Lynette simply fell overboard due to rough seas near Elbow Cay. Elbow Cay is a five-mile long cay in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas, known for its shallow, clear waters where tourists and locals alike drop anchor and spend a day on the water.
&#8220;He definitely denies causing her death, and he still asks about her and is hopeful that she will be recovered,&#8221; Butler said Friday.
Brian reportedly called fellow sailors, Marnee and Blaine Stevenson, a day before his arrest and explained what had happened as the couple headed back on the dinghy to their sailboat, Soulmate.
&#8220;She basically just bounced off the dinghy in the middle of a little blow, like 20-something knot winds that popped up,&#8221; Brian said.
Marnee and Blaine recorded the April 7 phone call with Brian and posted the video on their <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ICXVVWrgDc">YouTube</a> account. Marnee also shared text messages with CBS from a conversation with Lynette, during which the 55-year-old told Marnee she could not be out on the water with Brian.
&#8220;We were married 21 years. Our marriage lasted 6 weeks cruising,&#8221; Lynette wrote in the texts. &#8220;It was real bad. I can’t be out there with him.&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Overboard: Lynette Hooker is Missing" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/86t8y3CshQc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
A flotation device has been recovered and since Lynette disappeared — and according to Lynette&#8217;s mother, Darlene Hamlett, her daughter&#8217;s Apple Watch was recovered — but Lynette still has not been located.
Brian&#8217;s lawyer said authorities are &#8220;close to a decision&#8221; on whether or not to charge Brian with a crime, per <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/bahamas-authorities-race-deadline-charge-cut-loose-husband-missing-american-woman?intcmp=xpal_truecrime">Fox News</a>.
&#8220;Even if they decided to charge him, it&#8217;s highly unlikely that he would go to court today,&#8221; Butler said. &#8220;So we will know by 7:20 p.m. today what their decision will be &#8230; It is possible that when a person has completed their time, that when they walk out, they can be re-arrested and time starts again.&#8221;
Butler said her client is &#8220;drained&#8221; from the interrogations and that he is &#8220;just hoping to have closure to be released so that he can continue to search to find out what has happened to his wife.&#8221;
Lynette&#8217;s mom joined the &#8220;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el7hVYiIy-U">Drop Dead Serious</a>&#8221; podcast, describing in detail how her daughter was repeatedly abused by Brian over their more than 20-year marriage.
&#8220;He has two sides to his personality, he can be very pleasurable, pleasant and he can be very vicious,&#8221; Hamlett said. &#8220;He threw her down on this bench &#8230; the boat has a little bench where you sit around the table in the galley. She landed on that, he was on top of her, he was choking her, and she felt something crack in her neck. She was so stiff-necked for a long time. I don&#8217;t know how or why, but she stayed on the boat that night &#8230; one of the conversations that they had while they were on the boat the next morning is he told her that he wished he had finished the job and thrown her overboard.&#8221;
Stories like the one Hamlett shared are why she, along with her granddaughter, Kylie Aylesworth, wanted a thorough investigation into Lynette&#8217;s disappearance.
Lynette has reportedly left Brian several times during their marriage and often documented the abuse with photos to help her not go back to him, according to Hamlett. Her daughter would often come stay with her in Florida when things with Brian were tumultuous, and every time Lynette returned to the Bahamas Hamlett said she believed it could be the last time she saw her daughter.
The 76-year-old said she doesn&#8217;t want to talk to Brian, but if she could talk to Lynette she would tell her daughter this: &#8220;I love you, and I wish you would have come home.&#8221;
The Daily Wire reached out to the United States Coast Guard, who is looking into the incident, and officials with the Coast Guard told us &#8220;we cannot comment on an ongoing investigation.&#8221;

Credit: Lynette Hooker via Facebook

American Husband’s ‘Fell Overboard’ Story Hits Deadline As Texts And Recovered Apple Watch Surface

Bahamas

Sunday marked Easter and the day before the 2026 College Basketball National Championship game where the UConn Huskies are taking on the No. 1 seeded Michigan Wolverines. Huskies head coach Dan Hurley spent his Sunday in that order —  observing Easter came first, then it was time to game plan.
&#8220;Once I got out of Mass this morning, now it&#8217;s preparing for Michigan,&#8221; Hurley said Sunday.
The two-time national champion is getting UConn ready for their third title game in four years. A dynasty in the works. Though Hurley leans on his faith to get through the grueling college basketball season, he&#8217;s not praying for a positive outcome on the court.
&#8220;I’m praying for strength, for all the people that I’ve lost, and I pray to God for wisdom,&#8221; Hurley told <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/interview/dan-hurley-uconn-basketball-faith-and-family#:~:text=Hurley%20says%20that%20he%20models%20his%20faith,meditation%20practices%20with%20his%20players%20*%20Journaling">National Catholic Register</a> after his second championship. &#8220;And I do ask that we could be at our best. But I don’t ask to win the game. I ask for everyone to be at their best.&#8221;
Psalm 23 is what Hurley says he prays every day.
&#8220;The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name&#8217;s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever,&#8221; the passage states.
&#8220;I pray every morning because maybe of the line of work I’m in: the stress level and intensity of it. I’m an intense person, and that really resonates to me,&#8221; Hurley said. &#8220;I also like the Proverbs, the Our Father, Hail Mary and the &#8216;Serenity Prayer.'&#8221;
He&#8217;s a man who sticks to his routine, especially on game day. Monday, he will know nothing more or less than he does for every game day as he sets his eyes on a third title, and sixth overall, for Connecticut.
UConn is the underdog, but Hurley said his team is ready to take on a &#8220;dominant&#8221; Michigan team, adding that sometimes, the best team doesn&#8217;t cut down the nets at the end of the NCAA Tournament.
&#8220;You’ve just got to be better for one night, and obviously for us, we need to play the game a certain type of way where we obviously can’t get into a certain type of game with Michigan. They’re an incredibly dominant team,&#8221; Hurley said.
&#8220;There are no holes in their attack, they&#8217;re an elite defensive team, they&#8217;re an elite offensive team. They crush the glass.&#8221;
Michigan head coach Dusty May gave credit to Hurley and his team&#8217;s ability to fight till the end.
&#8220;They take what the games give them, they ride a hot hand &#8230; so there&#8217;s just a number of challenges,&#8221; May said. &#8220;You can&#8217;t go into this game saying if you do this, we are going to win &#8230; even if we do that well, they&#8217;re going to pivot, and we are going to have to find a way to counter that pivot.&#8221;
UConn and Michigan tip off at 8:50 p.m. ET.

Credit: Michael Reaves/Getty Images

UConn Coach Dan Hurley Went To Mass On Sunday — But He Didn’t Pray To Win The National Championship

College basketball

General

NCAA

U.S.

UCONN

The man who targeted the largest Jewish Reform synagogue in Michigan earlier this month was directed by Iranian-backed Lebanese terror group Hezbollah and had watched footage of an Iranian fatwa for &#8220;total jihad against the U.S. military&#8221; shortly before carrying out his attack, the Department of Justice said on Monday.
Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old Lebanese national, purposefully targeted the Jewish community when he drove his vehicle into Michigan&#8217;s largest synagogue and opened fire on March 12. The Department of Justice said at a press conference on Monday that Ghazali was directed by Hezbollah, which was confirmed by an investigation into his electronic devices and online activity.
&#8220;This man acted under Hezbollah&#8217;s direction and control,&#8221; said Jerome Gorgon, Jr., the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. &#8220;I&#8217;ve seen some odd attempts to explain away or even lessen this terrorist attack by claiming that he was an isolated lone wolf, but that is misleading. Terrorist propaganda is designed to activate the so-called lone wolf to act on behalf of the terrorist organization, and it makes no legal difference if the current leader of Hezbollah himself, Naim Qassem, called this man and told him to attack Temple Israel, or whether he simply heeded Hezbollah&#8217;s call to kill Jews, and in his words, &#8216;burn there world.'&#8221;
Ghazali was killed after exchanging gunfire with security guards at Temple Israel. If Ghazali had survived, Gorgon said he is confident a jury would convict the terrorist of providing material support to Hezbollah.
The FBI said that Ghazali drove his through the doors of Temple Israel &#8220;at a high rate of speed&#8221; and continued 200 feet down the hallway before he appeared to set off fireworks that were inside his vehicle. A photo shared by the FBI at the press conference show the attacker&#8217;s vehicle come to stop just a few feet from a baby stroller. Temple Israel houses a daycare and dozens of small children were present when Ghazali carried out his attack.
<div id="attachment_1069035" style="width: 701px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1069035" class="wp-image-1069035 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Untitled-design-2026-03-30T160055.242-691x576.jpg" alt="" width="691" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Untitled-design-2026-03-30T160055.242-691x576.jpg 691w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Untitled-design-2026-03-30T160055.242-300x250.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Untitled-design-2026-03-30T160055.242-768x640.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Untitled-design-2026-03-30T160055.242.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 691px) 100vw, 691px" />FBI</div>
&#8220;This evidence shows that the attacker meant to cause a significant amount of harm to the members and the children of Temple Israel,&#8221; FBI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan said.
One of the security guards was injured after he was struck by Ghazli&#8217;s vehicle, but no one else was harmed in the attack.
While the terrorist sat in his vehicle in the parking lot of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, before carrying out his attack, he sent numerous videos and posts to his sister in Lebanon that the FBI said reaffirmed his commitment to carry out a terrorist attack on behalf of Hezbollah. Some of the posts referenced martyrdom and his desire to carry out an attack on &#8220;the largest gathering of Israelis in Michigan.&#8221; One of the posts Ghazali sent to his sister stated that &#8220;jihad is the gateway to heaven.&#8221;
Ghazali also mentioned his family members who were recently killed in an Israeli strike on Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to the Israel Defense Forces, Ghazali&#8217;s brother was a Hezbollah commander, and President Donald Trump&#8217;s Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard <a href="https://x.com/KassyAkiva/status/2034278249958940838">confirmed</a> earlier this month that the synagogue attacker had &#8220;familial ties to a Hezbollah leader.&#8221;
The FBI said on Monday that even before some of Ghazali&#8217;s family members were killed in Lebanon, he was consuming Hezbollah propaganda. The attacker had searched pro-Hezbollah content online since January of this year, including following breaking news and statements from Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem. Ghazali also recently watched an Iranian fatwa for &#8220;total jihad against the U.S. military,&#8221; according to Runyan.
On March 9, three days before he attacked Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, Ghazali began viewing websites of synagogues in his area. Ghazali worked and lived in Dearborn, a majority-Muslim city in Michigan. Later on March 9, the terrorist attempted to purchase weapons from two different people, but they eventually turned him down. Ghazali then went to a gun store in Dearborn Heights, where he purchased an AR-style rifle, 10 magazines, and around 300 rounds of ammunition.
&#8220;Throughout the night of March 9, the assailant began visiting numerous different web pages of Jewish cultural, educational, and religious centers all throughout the Detroit-metro area,&#8221; Runyan said. &#8220;And even viewed multiple pages of upcoming events at Temple Israel.&#8221;
Over the next few days, Ghazali searched online for &#8220;the largest gathering of Israelis in Michigan,&#8221; &#8220;orthodox synagogues,&#8221; &#8220;Israelis near me,&#8221; and &#8220;what time is the Trump rally in Michigan.&#8221; The FBI said that the terrorist tried to delete his online searches, but authorities &#8220;were able to recover them.&#8221;
Ghazali went to a gun range to practice firing with his new weapon two days before the shooting and purchased around $2,200 worth of fireworks from a local vendor.

US-SHOOTING-SYNAGOGUE-MICHIGAN

Michigan Synagogue Terrorist Attack Was Directed By Hezbollah, DOJ Says

Terrorism

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is facing scrutiny after audio surfaced of him telling staff he wanted to avoid commenting on the killing of Iran&#8217;s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei because &#8220;a lot&#8221; of constituents in the majority-Muslim city of Dearborn, Michigan, would be upset.
The comments from El-Sayed, a leftist Muslim running for the open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, were published Monday by the <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/there-are-a-lot-of-people-in-dearborn-who-are-sad-democratic-senate-hopeful-abdul-el-sayed-said-he-needed-to-stay-silent-on-khamenei-killing-because-many-of-michigans-muslim-voters/">Washington Free Beacon</a>. During a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWasygt04SU">call</a> with his communications team on March 1, just one day after President Donald Trump launched &#8220;Operation Epic Fury,&#8221; El-Sayed laid out his strategy for addressing the conflict.
&#8220;I also want to remind you guys that there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad today. So, like, I just don&#8217;t want to comment on Khamenei at all. Like, I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s worth even touching that,&#8221; El-Sayed said.
Michigan holds one of the highest concentrations of Muslims in the United States, with the vast majority residing in Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit. Dearborn became the first majority-Muslim city in the United States in 2023. The city recently drew national attention after a resident rammed his vehicle into a synagogue and was killed in a shootout, reportedly after Israeli strikes killed members of his family.
In the conversation, El-Sayed acknowledged that Khamenei was a &#8220;bad man&#8221; but condemned the U.S. strike.
&#8220;The fact that he was a bad man does not justify our breaking of international law and unilateral action outside of wartime,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This is a bigger question about the United States&#8217; responsibility to international law, and we have been breaking it wantonly.&#8221;
In a mock unfriendly interview, one of El-Sayed&#8217;s staffers asked him if he believes the United States is &#8220;authorized to pursue further action&#8221; after Iran launched missile attacks on U.S. bases in the Middle East. In response, the leftist Democrat painted the United States and Israel as the aggressors.
&#8220;Don&#8217;t forget what started this,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The United States and Israel attacked first. So now, you have another country retaliating in what you would expect them to do when they&#8217;re attacked. And now we&#8217;re going to back-justify the thing that we did to start the war in the first place?&#8221;
At another point in the call, El-Sayed also floated a strategy to avoid addressing the Iran war directly if he was asked by reporters to comment on the issue.
&#8220;I&#8217;m just going to go straight to pedophilia, frankly. I&#8217;ll just be like, &#8216;Pedophile president decides that he doesn&#8217;t like the front page news, so he decides to take us into another war,'&#8221; he added.
While prepping his response to the Iran war, El-Sayed also shifted his focus to criticizing Israel.
&#8220;Frankly, this [war] doesn&#8217;t actually benefit the United States. You know who it benefits? It benefits Israel, who has captured too many of our politicians through AIPAC contributions,&#8221; he said.
The Daily Wire reached out to El-Sayed&#8217;s campaign, seeking comment.
El-Sayed&#8217;s legal team told the Free Beacon that the audio from the internal staff meeting &#8220;was obtained without the campaign&#8217;s permission, and without knowledge that individuals were being recorded.&#8221; David Mitrani, of the Sandler Reiff law firm, added, &#8220;The campaign is considering its legal options against the individual in question,&#8221; according to the Free Beacon.
El-Sayed is in a tight race with two other Democrats for the 2026 Senate nomination and has positioned himself as the most progressive choice for Democrats in the primary. El-Sayed boasts endorsements from democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and is advocating for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be abolished.
During his 2026 Senate campaign, El-Sayed has been in hot water over comments he has made on Israel. Last October, the Democrat sent a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senate-candidate-accuses-israel-of-invading-gaza-in-oct-7-fundraising-email">fundraising email</a> on the two-year anniversary of Hamas&#8217; brutal terrorist attack on Israel, but the email made no mention of Hamas’ atrocities and blamed Israel for launching &#8220;a ground invasion of Gaza.&#8221;
In an interview with The Daily Wire earlier this year, El-Sayed said the email that went out on the anniversary of the October 7 attack was supposed to be sent on a different day, but he added that he still supported the main message of the email.
“It went out, and I very quickly reached out to leaders in the Jewish community to apologize for having stepped on their grief,” he said, adding, “The message in the email is something I stand by.”
El-Sayed also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-voters-dont-let-radicals-fool-you-into-thinking-theyre-normal">plans to campaign</a> alongside Left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, who has praised terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah and once said that &#8220;America deserved 9/11.&#8221;

Abdul El-Sayed/Dearborn

Sad Michigan Muslims Drove Dem Senate Hopeful To Silence On Khamenei

Ali Khameini

Iran

Thanks to a loophole in federal law, cash from foreign nationals could make the difference in a battle over Michigan election security. 
Earlier this month, the group Citizens Only Voting turned in 750,000 signatures to place a citizen-only voting proposal on the 2026 ballot in Michigan. Leftist groups that have taken millions in foreign-linked money have already come out swinging against the proposal, suggesting they will mount a stiff campaign against the election integrity measure. 
Those groups include Promote the Vote and Voters Not Politicians, groups that have been funded by dark money group Sixteen Thirty Fund during previous election-related campaigns. The Sixteen Thirty Fund has received a whopping $305 million from the Berger Action Fund, <a href="https://americansforpublictrust.org/reports/hansjorg-wyss-berger-action-fund-totals-2009-2024/">according</a> to Americans for Public Trust. The Berger Action Fund is tied to Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, who has dumped hundreds of millions of dollars into influencing American politics. 
“It would be incredibly ironic if it remains possible in Michigan for groups to spend foreign-tied money to try to defeat a ballot measure to prevent non-citizens from voting in Michigan elections,” Honest Elections Project Executive Director Jason Snead told The Daily Wire.
Of all the foreign-linked money the Sixteen Thirty Fund has spent on ballot initiatives, the most has been spent in Michigan. This spending has topped $34.5 million since 2014, <a href="https://americansforpublictrust.org/reports/sixteen-thirty-fund-cumulative-spending-on-ballot-issue-campaigns/">according</a> to Americans For Public Trust. 
Promote the Vote reportedly <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Michigan_Proposal_2%2C_Voting_Policies_in_Constitution_Amendment_%282022%29">took</a> over $11 million from the Sixteen Thirty Fund in 2022 to successfully push a ballot initiative critics said effectively banned voting requirements for photo ID by giving broad ability for people to just sign affidavits instead of presenting IDs. Snead said this made photo ID optional rather than required and would prevent localities from demanding proof of identity. 
Earlier this month, Promote the Vote Action <a href="https://michiganadvance.com/2026/03/04/citizens-only-voting-ballot-group-to-turn-in-750k-signatures-to-state-well-ahead-of-deadline/">told</a> local outlet Michigan Advance that it would oppose efforts to require proof of citizenship to vote. Michael Davis, Jr., the group&#8217;s executive director, told the outlet that the citizen-only requirement will &#8220;make it more difficult for all of us to register and vote, resulting in the disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of eligible American citizens across the state. It’s voter suppression, pure and simple, and we’re confident Michigan voters will see this effort for what it really is.”
Voters Not Politicians, the other group that released a statement opposing the citizen-only ballot initiative, has also taken millions in foreign-tied money from the Sixteen Thirty Fund. In 2018, it <a href="https://bridgemi.com/michigan-government/republican-bill-would-shield-donors-dark-money-groups-michigan">took</a> over $5 million from Sixteen Thirty to promote a ballot initiative that took away redistricting power from state legislators and transferred it to a supposedly bipartisan commission. 
Regarding the Michigan ballot initiative, Voters Not Politicians Executive Director Christy McGillivray said, “F**k this sh*t, actually.”
While her group has been supported by a billionaire-backed dark money organization, McGillivray attacked Citizens Only Voting for having wealthy supporters. 
“A billionaire from Illinois has bankrolled this entire campaign with the only goal to trick Michiganders into throwing away their own political power,” she said. “This ballot initiative is part of a wider national power grab by wealthy political elites who are trying to take power away from the people by blocking them from voting.”
Americans For Public Trust executive director Caitlin Sutherland said that the foreign influence loophole is “a huge threat to the state of Michigan.”
“We&#8217;re eager to work with legislative leaders to shut off foreign funding in state ballot issues across the country, and especially in Michigan,” she said. 
Advocates of the proposal say it would safeguard Michigan elections. Last year, a Chinese student in Michigan was charged with illegally voting in the 2024 election by the Justice Department. Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the vote would count because it could not be taken out of the system even though it was illegally cast. 
“This is really to cement and restore the public’s confidence and trust in elections. It is not a high threshold,” <a href="https://michiganadvance.com/2026/03/04/citizens-only-voting-ballot-group-to-turn-in-750k-signatures-to-state-well-ahead-of-deadline/">said</a> state Rep. Ann Bollin. “This is something I am sorry that I actually have to be here to say, that we need a constitutional amendment to do this.”
A bipartisan bill to ban foreign funding of ballot initiatives easily <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/06/michigan-house-votes-to-ban-foreign-cash-in-ballot-campaigns-election-administration/88534044007/">passed</a> the Michigan House earlier this year but has currently stalled out in the Democrat-controlled Senate. 
“Are they really interested in keeping Michigan exposed to foreign spending and foreign influence, especially with a ballot measure coming up in November on an issue as crucial as trying to prevent non-citizens from voting in our elections?” Snead asked.
At least nine states have <a href="https://americansforpublictrust.org/stop-foreign-funding/">passed</a> laws to ban foreign funding for ballot initiatives with support from the Honest Elections Project and Americans for Public Trust.

US Elections Vote

Foreign Money Could Pave The Way For Non-Citizen Voting In Key Swing State

Ballot Measures

election integrity

Menu