Vice President JD Vance called on Americans to reject Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, accusing him of promoting racial hostility as Republicans work to elect former Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan’s competitive Senate race.

Vance made the remarks Tuesday while traveling to Howell, Michigan, to campaign for Rogers, a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee who is facing El-Sayed in the final week before Election Day.

“I think Mike is fundamentally a decent guy and the kind of public servant that you want in Washington, D.C.,” Vance told reporters at Joint Base Andrews.

“Abdul El-Sayed, who, maybe more than any Democrat running in the nation, has engaged in the kind of explicitly anti-white racial hatred that has become common on the Democratic Party, I'd say that person should not be elected,” Vance added.

The vice president argued that Republicans should reject what he described as racial hostility within the Democratic Party, saying conservatives and Americans broadly should oppose El-Sayed’s candidacy.

“We should reject that guy as conservatives,” Vance said. “We should reject him as Americans.”

Vance’s comments followed criticism from Republicans over El-Sayed’s past statements and alleged associations with individuals sympathetic to Islamist movements. Asked whether he agreed with President Donald Trump’s description of El-Sayed as a “jihadist,” Vance stopped short of directly endorsing the label but questioned the candidate’s associations and public remarks.

“He certainly has a lot of weird friends” and “said a lot of crazy stuff,” Vance said. “I don’t know what’s in the guy’s heart. I just know he has a lot of weird friends.”

Vance also accused El-Sayed of aligning himself with elements of the Democratic Party whose members, he argued, associate with people who justify violence against the United States.

Trump attacked El-Sayed during a weekend rally in Port Huron, Michigan, describing him as a “jihadist, Muslim Brotherhood member” and urging voters to reject him. Reports have also highlighted claims that some of El-Sayed’s relatives in Egypt expressed support for the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed has denied being affiliated with the organization.

Rogers, a Republican and former Michigan congressman, has faced criticism from conservative commentator Tucker Carlson over his support for Israel. The race has drawn national attention as Republicans seek to retain control of the Senate.

According to the RealClearPolitics polling average cited in the race, El-Sayed held an average lead of approximately 2.5 percentage points over Rogers, underscoring the stakes for both parties in the closing days of the campaign.