Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed touts endorsement from pastor who praised Louis Farrakhan
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed publicly celebrated an endorsement from Detroit pastor and radio host Horace Sheffield III, issuing a press release calling himself "deeply honored" by the support. Sheffield gave a speech in May 2013 introducing and praising Nation of Islam minister Louis Farrakhan, who has made repeated antisemitic statements over decades including calling Jews "termites" in 2018. The El-Sayed campaign paid a nonprofit run by Sheffield $75,000 in "consulting" fees between October 2025 and June 2026, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Single source · Not corroborated
Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate in Michigan's 2026 Senate race, issued a press release in November 2025 touting the endorsement of Horace Sheffield III, a Detroit pastor and radio host. El-Sayed stated he was "deeply honored" to have Sheffield's support, describing the pastor's "lifelong commitment to justice, faith, and service" as embodying "the very best of Detroit."
Sheffield's 2013 speech introducing Louis Farrakhan to a gathering of religious leaders is the center of the controversy. In that speech, Sheffield called Farrakhan a leader who could "organize" his community and accused unspecified outside forces of "slandering" the Nation of Islam minister. "They want to silence people who tell us the truth," Sheffield said, according to Fox News, which cited a media outlet founded by Farrakhan.
Farrakhan's public record of statements includes calling Jews "wicked deceivers of the American people" who have "sucked their blood" in 1996, asserting that "Jews are the most violent of people" in 2012, and referring to Jews as "termites" in 2018, according to Fox News. He has also made statements targeting White people and European heritage, according to the same report.