(Washington Stand) The trend of Democratic Senate candidates who openly talk about religion continues to spread, reaching from Texas to Kansas and all the way to Michigan. But the schtick may prove no less successful than Tim Walz and Graham Platner (as examples of rugged masculinity) at connecting with Middle America. A leftist with a Christian accent is still a leftist.
The latest candidate to embrace the religious routine is Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim candidate in Michigan whose policies largely align with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), fresh off his Democratic primary victory for U.S. Senate on August 4. El-Sayed is making headlines for a podcast interview earlier this summer in which he allegedly compared himself to Jesus.
In a May 29 episode of “The Progressive Christians” podcast, El-Sayed was asked to respond to critics who called his ideas too radical. “Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him, was considered radical in his time too,” he replied.