<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>Washington Examiner</em> columnist <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/joe-concha/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joe Concha</a> criticized <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/michigan/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Michigan</a> Democratic Senate nominee <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/abdul-el-sayed/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Abdul el Sayed</a> for not denouncing <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/iran/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Iran’s</a> regime after being questioned by a college student.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“This is like asking, ‘Oh, are you against cancer?’ ‘Yeah, I’m against cancer,’ like that’s how easy this layup was as far as condemning, obviously, the IRGC,” Concha stated on Fox Business’s <em>The Evening Edit</em> on Thursday.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The incident involving el Sayed occurred on Wednesday at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor during the “Students vs. Billionaires” town hall event.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A student questioned el Sayed about Iran, stating, “My cousin was hunted in the streets of Iran by the IRGC because her hijab wasn’t on right. My uncle was sentenced to die, received 50 lashings, by <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/ali-khamenei/page/2/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ali Khamenei’s</a> government.” The student also referenced el Sayed’s previous comments regarding Khamenei’s death.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed during a joint U.S. and Israeli airstrike in February.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The student expressed concern about el Sayed’s silence on the matter, saying, “That silence had a gaping hole in our community. I want to ask if you regret that silence,” to which el Sayed responded by discussing broader issues of global policing.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Concha remarked on el Sayed’s response, saying, “He is so petrified of losing that precious vote in Dearborn, Michigan, which obviously has a very large Muslim population, therefore, he is a coward.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Concha further noted that this situation could impact el Sayed’s campaign against Republican nominee Mike Rogers, a former congressman and FBI special agent.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Concha stated that el Sayed’s refusal to denounce the Iranian regime “could really turn things south in a hurry,” emphasizing that voters should evaluate candidates based on their statements and actions.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“These people are who they are, and in a state like Michigan that <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/donald-trump/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Donald Trump</a> has won two times, it’s going to be hard for him to win statewide when this stuff keeps coming up,” Concha added, suggesting that el Sayed’s defensive stance could jeopardize his electoral chances.</p>