Michigan Democrat Aide Compares GOP Senate Campaign to KKK Cross Burning

A top staffer on Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed's Senate campaign compared Republican opponent Mike Rogers' campaign to a "KKK cross burning" after Rogers posted a video of himself riding in a vintage pickup truck decked out with American flags.

Mason Pressler, El-Sayed's political manager for northern Michigan, unleashed the attack on X over the weekend. "Mike Rogers' campaign has the aesthetics of a 1960s white flight suburb and a KKK cross burning," Pressler wrote.

The comment came in response to a campaign video Rogers released Sunday showing him riding shotgun in a red antique Ford pickup with two American flags mounted on the tailgate. The clip, set to Toby Keith's "American Ride," shows Rogers smiling and waving as the truck cruises down the road.

"Gotta love this American Ride! There's no better way to do the Woodward Dream Cruise!" Rogers wrote alongside the video.

Rogers Campaign Fires Back

Rogers' campaign wasted no time hitting back, accusing Pressler of equating "driving a Michigan-made Ford truck" with one of the darkest symbols in American history.

The campaign also added "Old Ford trucks" to its running list of things it says El-Sayed hates -- a list that has grown throughout the race as the Democrat has taken aim at everything from American symbols to his own party's moderates.

Rogers, a former FBI agent and former congressman endorsed by President Donald Trump, is running on Michigan manufacturing, American patriotism, and border security. The pickup video was a straightforward slice of Americana tied to the Woodward Dream Cruise, the famous Detroit-area car event that draws hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts every August.

A Pattern of Extreme Rhetoric

Pressler's screed is hardly the first time the El-Sayed operation has gone off the rails. The far-left, socialist-adjacent candidate told Rogers to "go back to Florida, lick Trump's boots" earlier this month, and he previously suggested progressives should put an "ogre" on a pike -- a remark he later claimed was aimed at Sen. John Fetterman.

El-Sayed's communications director, Roxie Richner, has her own history of controversial social media posts. She tried to distance the campaign from Pressler's comment, telling Fox News Digital that his views do not represent the campaign because his X bio notes his posts are his own opinions. She did not respond to a follow-up request for further comment.

The episode also follows reports that El-Sayed's team made more than 100 videos on his YouTube channel private before he launched his Senate bid, with the campaign claiming the old videos "don't reflect his beliefs today."

What the Race Looks Like

El-Sayed, a former Detroit health director, won the Democratic primary earlier this month, setting up a general election showdown with Rogers in a race that could help decide control of the Senate. Polls have shown El-Sayed trailing badly -- including one survey that put him 13 points underwater -- as Michigan voters appear unimpressed by a campaign defined by insults rather than ideas.

Rogers, meanwhile, has kept his focus on kitchen-table issues: bringing manufacturing jobs back to Michigan, securing the border, and reining in inflation. His campaign's running list of things El-Sayed hates has become a crowd favorite among supporters, and the pickup truck dust-up has only added to it.

What Happens Next

The KKK comparison could haunt El-Sayed straight into November. Michigan's working-class base votes on patriotism and family values, and a campaign staffer calling a flag-waving pickup truck video "KKK cross burning" aesthetics is exactly the kind of moment that energizes the GOP base while turning off independents.

With early voting still months away, expect more attacks from both sides. But if El-Sayed's campaign keeps reaching for comparisons like this one, Rogers' team won't have to do much heavy lifting -- the Democrats' own words keep writing the story.