Michigan attorney general Nessel endorses El-Sayed after previous criticism

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced her endorsement of Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed on a recent episode of the podcast "For the Sake of the Argument with Lori Goldman." The endorsement comes weeks after Nessel publicly criticized El-Sayed for his reaction to a March attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township and follows her earlier support for Rep. Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary. Nessel, who is Jewish, said she believes El-Sayed will oppose the Trump administration and work to protect Michiganders' safety, health and futures. She also leveled criticism at El-Sayed's Republican opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers, asserting he "only cares about self-enrichment." El-Sayed responded to the endorsement by expressing gratitude and acknowledging past disagreements between them. The attorney general's earlier objections centered on comments El-Sayed made after the synagogue attacker, who had relatives killed in an Israeli airstrike in early March, carried out the assault. Last month Nessel told The Atlantic that El-Sayed had made "excuses" for the attacker; El-Sayed previously said the assailant's actions reflected the idea that "hurt people do hurt people." In announcing her endorsement, Nessel said there was "no choice" between El-Sayed and Rogers. The Senate race in Michigan is to fill the seat of outgoing Sen. Gary Peters. As of Tuesday, Decision Desk HQ gave El-Sayed a 68 percent chance to defeat Rogers in the general election. El-Sayed has advocated ending U.S. military aid to Israel, a position that has been a point of disagreement with some Democrats in the state.