Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed answered Vice President JD Vance’s Thursday criticism with a Wolverine-themed jab in Marquette, sharpening a campaign exchange ahead of Michigan’s Nov. 3 election.
Vance spoke at a rally in Monroe on Oct. 15 while campaigning for Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers. At the rally, Vance called El-Sayed “a little weasel” and said he should show gratitude to the country.
At an evening rally in Marquette, El-Sayed replied, “You can take your Buckeye and go shove it somewhere else…Ohio.” His lines drew on the rivalry between the University of Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes. El-Sayed’s campaign said more than 1,300 people attended the event.
The Associated Press and CBS News reported that El-Sayed defeated former U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary and will face Rogers in November. The AP said the race may affect which party controls the Senate.
The Michigan Secretary of State’s election calendar lists Nov. 3 as the general election date, with early voting scheduled from Oct. 24 through Nov. 1.
