Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi publicly criticized Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed over his views on Israel, creating a notable intraparty disagreement just days before the midterm elections.
Pelosi made the remarks Thursday during an appearance on Donny Deutsch’s “On Brand” podcast, where the longtime Democratic strategist pressed her about concerns over Israel and antisemitism within the Democratic Party.
Deutsch specifically raised El-Sayed and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani while arguing that some prominent progressives have taken positions questioning Israel’s status as a Jewish state. When Deutsch characterized those positions as “concerning,” Pelosi went considerably further in her response.
“No, it’s more than concerning,” Pelosi said. “It’s wrong. It’s wrong.” Pelosi then sought to distance congressional Democrats from those views, saying they were not representative of Democratic members currently serving in Congress. “This new person in Michigan, we’ll see if he gets elected to the Congress,” Pelosi said of El-Sayed, who is running against Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers.
? Pelosi rips Abdul El-Sayed, says his views on Israel are "more than concerning":
“This new person in Michigan, we’ll see if he gets elected.” https://t.co/zRtjdLvfPx
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 30, 2026
The remarks stood out because they came from one of the Democratic Party’s most prominent figures during the final days of a closely watched Senate contest. Pelosi, who served twice as House speaker, remains an influential Democratic voice despite stepping away from congressional leadership and deciding not to seek another term in the House.
Her criticism centered on El-Sayed’s repeated reluctance to affirm that Israel should exist specifically as a Jewish state. During a May appearance with Jewish supporters in Michigan, El-Sayed said he “struggled” with the question and questioned how privileging a particular religious identity was consistent with American liberal values.
El-Sayed has argued that governments should provide equal rights regardless of religion and has sharply criticized Israel’s conduct and the longstanding U.S.-Israel relationship. The issue resurfaced during an October debate against Rogers when El-Sayed was repeatedly asked whether Israel or Iran represented the greater threat to the United States.
El-Sayed called the question “ridiculous” and said both countries had proven dangerous in different ways rather than selecting one. He was also asked whether he would support providing defensive weapons to Israel if it were attacked by Iran or another country. El-Sayed did not give a direct yes-or-no response and instead emphasized his opposition to using American taxpayer money to purchase weapons for foreign countries.
Pelosi’s criticism also extended to Mamdani, whose views on Israel have similarly generated disputes within the Democratic coalition. Mamdani said earlier this year that he supported Israel as a state with equal rights but would not endorse a system in which one religion received preferential treatment.
Pelosi said she hoped Mamdani succeeded as New York City mayor but acknowledged that she disagreed with some of his statements. Earlier in the podcast discussion, Pelosi pushed back against the broader contention that antisemitism had become widespread among Democrats.
