There are Senate debates that produce memorable moments and there are Senate debates that produce a candidate calling female Democratic politicians “ogres on a pike,” refusing to apologize when asked, and then having a different candidate point out that he has $300,000 in outside income he hasn’t disclosed and tax returns he won’t release, all of which happened on the same stage in Michigan last night, with the primary happening today.
El-Sayed, the Bernie Sanders and AOC-backed progressive physician whose 2025 household income was $686,069, made the “ogre on a pike” remark about female Democratic establishment figures, a phrase that Rep. Hillary Scholten described as sexist and which drew backlash from multiple Democratic women including the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, per Fox News’s confirmed reporting published at 4 a.m. EDT today. El-Sayed declined to apologize when given the opportunity at the debate, which is the choice that produces the Fox News headline “Dems Clash: AIPAC Money, Ogre Attack, Electability in Crucial Senate Debate,” and which is the choice that the Republican National Congressional Committee will recycle in general election advertising regardless of which Democrat wins today’s primary.
Haley Stevens, the establishment Democratic candidate who has been outspent and outenergized by El-Sayed’s progressive machine, made the income issue specific: approximately $300,000 in outside income that El-Sayed has not publicly explained, in addition to the $686,069 household income that produced the “champagne socialism” coverage last week. El-Sayed has not released his tax returns, Stevens noted. El-Sayed, who is running on Medicare for All and economic equity, has not released the documents that would allow voters to verify what he earns from what.
The primary closes today. The general election opponent, if El-Sayed wins, will be a Republican in a state Trump won in 2024. The “ogre on a pike” phrase will not require explanation to Michigan voters in October. It is self-contained.
El-Sayed has a $686,069 income, unreleased tax returns, and a fresh “ogre on a pike” quote. The primary is today.
When the economic justice candidate calls female Democratic politicians ogres on a pike, refuses to apologize, and hides his tax returns, what exactly is the platform?
Sources
Fox News: Dems clash over AIPAC money, ogre attack, and electability in crucial Senate debate
