Ohio senator claims Muslim nominee should stay out of Washington

The Michigan Senate race has escalated into a direct confrontation over whether a candidate's faith can disqualify them from federal office. Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno argued on Wednesday that the Democratic nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, should be barred from serving in Washington because of his Muslim faith. Moreno made the remarks at a President Donald Trump rally in Ohio, stating that El-Sayed "can be nowhere near Washington, DC." The senator questioned whether the Michigan candidate understood that rights come from God and that Jesus came for salvation. He added that Republican nominee Mike Rogers would defeat El-Sayed on Tuesday.

Moreno is a naturalized citizen from Colombia, a fact that contrasts with his implication that El-Sayed, who was born in the United States, does not deserve the same constitutional protections due to his religion. Article VI of the Constitution explicitly states that no religious test shall ever be required for any office or public trust under the United States. The First Amendment further prohibits Congress from making laws regarding the establishment of religion. Corey Brettschneider, a Brown University professor, noted that the rhetoric used against El-Sayed functions as a religious test for office. He emphasized that the framers of the Constitution, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, intentionally rejected theocracy to ensure the nation did not have an official religion.

President Donald Trump has amplified the religious focus of the campaign with personal attacks and stereotyping. The president has referred to El-Sayed as a "jihadist" and suggested that metal detectors would be necessary at the Senate if he is elected. Trump has also repeatedly mispronounced the candidate's name as "Mohammed" or "Abdul Ramadan." On Thursday, Trump claimed that voting for El-Sayed would be "crazy" for Black or Jewish voters. These comments align with a broader strategy by the Republican Party to portray El-Sayed as un-American. This approach adds to a race already complicated by trade disputes with Canada, rising living costs, and divisions within the Democratic Party.

Republican nominee Mike Rogers has taken a slightly different approach, focusing on El-Sayed's political affiliations rather than his faith directly. Rogers, a former Army officer, stated he wore the uniform to safeguard the freedom of Muslims to pray. However, during a debate, Rogers asked if El-Sayed was loyal to America or to terrorist groups overseas. He pointed to the candidate's links to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Egyptian Islamist organization. El-Sayed has disavowed the group, but Republicans have highlighted social media posts from his half-sister describing their mother's involvement in the organization during the 1970s. El-Sayed also wrote a 2011 article for the HuffPost arguing that a Muslim Brotherhood-led Egypt might be more favorable than rule by the military. The context of that article, the Arab Spring, is often omitted in current campaign rhetoric.

El-Sayed addressed the dual loyalty question at a town hall meeting earlier this month. He rebuked a questioner for assuming he would have an allegiance other than the Constitution. He described the document as his guiding light. The race is set against a backdrop of tension over Israel's response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, which killed around 1,200 people in Israel. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have died in the subsequent operation. Both parties have expressed unease with El-Sayed's positions on Israel and his calls for changes in US foreign policy. A new CNN/SSRS poll released on Thursday shows El-Sayed leading Rogers by 49% to 42% among likely voters. The result suggests the religious attacks have not yet shifted the outcome in a state with a large Muslim minority. Michigan voters will cast their ballots on Tuesday to determine the Senate seat and the chamber's majority.