El-Sayed Mocks Vance's Ohio State Roots
The Michigan Senate candidate used a Kalamazoo rally to tease Vance over his Ohio State degree, days after Vance attacked El-Sayed's origins.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Basketball
Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed mocked Republican JD Vance's Ohio State roots during a Kalamazoo campaign rally on Thursday. The jab came days after Vance attacked El-Sayed's birthplace and origins at a Livingston County rally.
Why it matters
The exchange highlights how the Michigan Senate race, where El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers, is drawing in national figures and turning into a clash of personal attacks. It also ties the race to the long-running Michigan-Ohio State rivalry that residents follow closely.
Ohio State beat Michigan 27-9 in Ann Arbor last season, ending a four-game losing streak in the series. The rivalry context is cited in the campaign exchange, but no poll or fundraising figures tied to the remarks were reported.
The players
Abdul El-Sayed
El-Sayed is a Democratic physician and public health official who won the party's U.S. Senate nomination in Michigan.
JD Vance
Vance is the Republican vice president of the United States and a Yale Law School graduate who earned an Ohio State degree in 2009.
Mike Rogers
Rogers is the Republican former U.S. Representative from Michigan who is running against El-Sayed for the Senate seat.
The details
At a Kalamazoo rally on Thursday, El-Sayed made fun of Vance's Ohio State degree, which Vance earned in 2009 before attending Yale Law School. The remarks followed a Tuesday rally in Livingston County where Vance attacked El-Sayed's origins, including his birthplace in Rochester Hills.
Timeline
- Last season: Ohio State beat Michigan 27-9 in Ann Arbor.
- Tuesday: Vance attacked El-Sayed at a Livingston County rally.
- Thursday: El-Sayed mocked Vance's Ohio State roots at a Kalamazoo rally.
- Weeks away: Ohio State and Michigan meet again in The Game.
Season Trajectory
The exchange uses the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, where Ohio State's win last season broke a four-game Michigan streak, as a shorthand for regional identity in the Senate race. That framing ties a political contest to a sports narrative that Michigan voters already follow closely.
Michigan residents tracking the Senate race will see the rivalry framing return as both campaigns continue. Fans following The Game can expect the Ohio State-Michigan matchup to remain part of the political conversation until the meeting weeks away.
The takeaway
Political rivalries often borrow from the sports rivalries that voters already care about, and this exchange shows how quickly a campaign jab can connect the two. Readers following either race can track how both sides use regional identity as the contest moves forward.
Further reading
For more on the rivalry at the center of the jab, see Basketball coverage across Michigan.
