Arab American candidates challenge pro-Israel Democrats in Michigan

Arab American candidates demanding a cease-fire in Gaza filed paperwork to challenge two Democratic members of Congress in Michigan by Tuesday's deadline.

The candidates cited frustration over their representatives' support for Israel among the reasons they decided to try to get on the ballot to challenge the U.S. House members. Democrats have grown increasingly divided over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the deadly Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7.

The challenged members include Reps. Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, and Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids.

"I’m not just a protest vote. I’m not running to send a message but to unseat her," said Ahmed Ghanim, an activist who filed to run as a Democrat in the 11th District that covers parts of Oakland County.

Ghanim, 49, of Ferndale is targeting the three-term Stevens, calling her a "poster child" for the pro-Israel lobby. Ghanim is originally from Egypt and works in health care management, he said. He criticized Stevens for not meeting with cease-fire supporters from her district, including those who have lost family members in Gaza.

"I feel I'm not represented," he said. "We've called her hundreds and hundreds of times to respond to us and to call for a cease-fire."

Stevens, a staunch supporter of Israel, had a nasty primary fight in 2022 and defeated progressive U.S. Rep. Andy Levin of Bloomfield Township, an Israel critic, by 20 percentage points.

That contest drew an avalanche of outside spending, including over $4 million by a group tied to the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee and $3 million by the abortion rights group Emily's List. Stevens had $581,000 in cash reserves for her reelection as of March 31.

Her campaign noted in a statement that Stevens last weekend voted for a $26 billion aid package for Israel that included $9 billion in humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza and other conflict zones.

“Congresswoman Stevens is a strong supporter of the U.S.-Israel relationship and our democratic allies abroad," Stevens spokeswoman Hayley Gray-Hoehn said.

"She listens carefully to constituents with a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. Pertaining to the war in Gaza, she has supported a cease-fire for the release of the hostages and called for more extensive aid to reach those in need."

The constituents she's met with include those with family in Gaza, Gray-Hoehn noted.

In the 3rd District anchored by Grand Rapids, real estate agent Salim Al-Shatel of Norton Shores filed to challenge Scholten, a freshman lawmaker seeking her second term. He ran unsuccessfully for the state House in 2022, winning 14% of the vote in the Democratic primary in the 82nd District.

Al-Shatel, 31, was raised in west Michigan by refugee parents displaced due to wars — a Palestinian father and Czechoslovakian mother. He opposes U.S. aid to Israel's "apartheid regime," saying he tried to raise his concerns about the war in Gaza with Scholten and is disappointed that she's not called for a cease-fire.

"That was a big turning point for me, the lack of care for humanitarian needs there," Al-Shatel said, noting the death toll in Gaza has reached 34,000, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

"She doesn't seem fazed by it. She doesn't seem to care. ... It's disappointing to see that because when I first met her, she came off as a very level-headed Democrat that was going to stand up for this stuff."

Scholten's campaign didn't respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Her district is among the most competitive in Michigan, with national Republicans aiming to flip her seat in November.

She raised nearly $643,000 in the first quarter, including nearly $8,000 from AIPAC's political committee, and ended with about $1.8 million cash on hand as of March 31. Republicans who had filed to run in the 3rd District as of Tuesday afternoon were Paul Hudson of East Grand Rapids and Michael Markey Jr. of Grand Haven.

The primary challengers to Stevens and Scholten start with significant disadvantages due to the incumbents' name ID and fundraising. But their filing at all illustrates the deep rift and "disconnect" between the Democratic Party and elements of its base over Israel, said Mario Morrow, a political consultant in Detroit.

"It’s raising the attention to the issue of Israel and Gaza. They don’t want this issue to die down until there’s a permanent cease-fire, so there’s a concerted effort to do everything possible to bring this before local and national political leaders," Morrow said.

"Also, they have to understand the odds of their winning are very low, especially if no one knows who you are. If you’re an unknown political name, you’ll get invited to some forums but it’s almost like you’re a one-issue candidate."

Still, Morrow suggested the candidates find a way to bring their critics to the table before the general election, noting "a small crowd can become a large mob."

In Wayne County, U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit, is facing multiple Democratic challengers who filed by Tuesday's deadline, including former state Sen. Adam Hollier; Detroit Councilwoman Mary Waters; criminal defense attorney Shakira Lynn Hawkins; and Mohammad Rabbi Alam, a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to his website.

Thanedar's campaign reported over $5 million cash on hand to start the month.

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No high-profile challengers filed to take on U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, after she led the Michigan delegation in donations to her reelection bid for two quarters. She started the month with a massive $5.23 million in cash reserves — also the highest in the delegation.

Pro-Israel groups had worked to recruit a Democratic challenger to run in Michigan's 12th District against Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, over her criticism of the Israeli government and opposition to military aid.

Ryan Foster of Southfield was the only Democratic challenger to Tlaib to file as of 5 p.m. Tuesday. Four Republican candidates filed: Steven Elliott of Rochester Hills, James Hooper of Livonia, Hassan Nehme of Dearborn Heights and Linda Sawyer of Detroit.

Six Democrats filed in the Democratic primary contest that will determine who takes on first-term Rep. John James, R-Shelby Township, in November. They are former prosecutor and judge Carl Marlinga of Sterling Heights, Anil Kumar of Bloomfield Hills, Emily Busch of Oxford, Diane Young of Warren, Rhonda Powell of Mount Clemens and State Board of Education member Tiffany Tilley.

James beat Marlinga in 2022 by about a half of a percentage point in which was the third-closest U.S. House election nationwide.

A gush of eight candidates filed to run for the open seat in mid-Michigan’s 8^th District, where U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, is retiring.

Democratic candidates include state Sen. Kristen Rivet McDonald of Bay City and Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley, and Republicans include former Dow executive Mary Draves, Paul Junge of Grand Blanc Township and State Board of Education Member Nikki Snyder, who is moving to Goodrich to relocate within the 8th District, according to a spokesman. Snyder currently lives outside of the mid-Michigan district in Washtenaw County.

Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Holland, is facing a primary challenge from Ottawa County Republican Chairman Brendan Muir, according to Tuesday's candidate filings. Democrats who filed include Jessica Swartz of Kalamazoo and Joseph Alfonso of Holland.

And Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, also has company in the GOP primary with the filing by Afghanistan veteran Josh Saul, an accountant for Munson Healthcare from Roscommon. Saul had less than $4,000 cash on hand as of March 31. Republican JD Wilson of Houghton Lake also filed to challenge Bergman in the Republican primary in August.

Bergman is a retired Marine Corps lieutenant general in his fourth term representing Michigan's 1st District in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula in Congress.

Democrats Callie Barr, an attorney from Traverse City, and Bob Lorinser, a physician from Marquette, filed to run in the 1st District's Democratic primary.

"The General will continue fighting for the 1st District and looks forward to a solid win in August and November," Bergman spokesman James Hogge said. "With far over the 2,000 signatures necessary collected, and Josh Saul barely hitting the deadline, there is no doubt that the grassroots Bergman Brigade is all in and ready to beat the far left candidate that comes out of the Democrat primary."

mburke@detroitnews.com