Three vocal Arab Americans against the Israeli genocide in Gaza who have been demanding a ceasefire in the war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have filed petitions to challenge two Democratic members of Congress and a pro-Israel Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Michigan.

The candidates cited frustration over their representatives’ blind 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 Israeli war on Gaza that started after Hamas’ attack on October 7.

The challenged members include Reps. Haley Stevens, (D-Birmingham), Hillary Scholten, (D-Grand Rapids) and Elissa Slotkin, (D-Lansing), a U.S. Senate candidate, who has been serving since 2019 as the U.S. representative for Michigan’s Seventh Congressional District.

Ghanam will challenge Stevens

“I’m not just a protest vote. I’m not running to send a message but to unseat her,” Ahmed Ghanim told the Detroit News. Ghanim is an activist who filed to run as a Democrat against Stevens in the 11th District that covers parts of Oakland County.

Ahmed Ghanim: A resident of Ferndale, a medical worker and co-founder of the Metro Detroit Political Action Network.

Ghanim, 49, a resident of  Ferndale, called Stevens a “poster child” for the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Ghanim is originally from Egypt and works in health care management. He criticized Stevens for not meeting with ceasefire supporters from her district, including those who have lost family members in Gaza.

“I feel I’m not represented,” he told the News. “We’ve called her hundreds and hundreds of times to respond to us and to call for a ceasefire.”

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

That contest between Levin and Stevens drew an avalanche of outside spending, including over $4 million by a group tied to the pro-Israel AIPAC 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.

Stevens voted last weekend for a $26 billion aid package for Israel.

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

“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, according to a report published in the Detroit News.

Al-Shatel will challenge Scholten

In the Third District anchored by Grand Rapids, real estate agent Salim Al-Shatel of Norton Shores is challenging Scholten, a freshman lawmaker seeking her second term. He ran unsuccessfully for the State House in 2022, winning 14 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary in the 82nd District.

Al-Shatel, 31, was raised in west Michigan by refugee parents displaced by 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.

Al-Shatel is a co-owner of the beach wedding planning service My Barefoot Wedding and also a real estate investor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in applied engineering from Michigan State University.

“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 exceeded 35,000, mostly women and children and more than 76,000 injured and 1.5 million have been displaced and are homeless.

“She doesn’t seem fazed by it,” he told the Detroit News. “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 district is among the most competitive in Michigan, with national Republicans aiming to flip her seat in November.

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,” Morrow said. “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.

“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 the U.S. Senate race, Beydoun will challenge Slotkin

In the Democratic race for the U.S. Senate to replace Senator Debbie Stabenow are U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Holly as well as Detroit actor Hill Harper and Dearborn businessman Nasser Beydoun.

Nasser Beydoun carries boxes that contain more than 24,000 signatures to the Bureau of Elections to officially place his name on the ballot for the Michigan Democratic primary in August. – Photo courtesy of Nasser Beydoun’s campaign

Stabenow announced in January 2023 that she won’t seek reelection in 2024, opening up a Senate seat in a key swing state.

Slotkin, who is giving up her post in the House to run for Senate, has dominated the early fundraising battle and is heavily supported by the pro-Israeli AIPAC.

Michigan has favored Democrats in recent statewide elections, but former President Trump won the state in 2016 and only narrowly lost in 2020. With Trump and President Biden again expected to top the Nov. 5 general election ballot, Republicans believe the seat is in play.

Among Republicans, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers is racking up early endorsements and donations. But he faces competition from former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, wealthy businessman Sandy Pensler and early grassroots favorite Sherry O’Donnell.

While third-parties can still nominate their candidates at conventions, the major party primary fields are set. Below is the list of the Democratic candidates:

Nasser Beydoun: The Dearborn businessman is a restaurant owner and former chair of the American Arab Chamber of Congress. Beydoun describes himself as a political moderate and civil rights advocate. He is the son of a Lebanese immigrant who found his footing in Michigan as a UAW member, according to Beydoun’s campaign.

Hill Harper: An actor known for his roles on The Good Doctor and CSI: NY, Harper is also an attorney, single father, author and coffee shop owner. The son of two doctors, Harper was born in Iowa and moved to Detroit in 2016. He is a graduate of Harvard University. A cancer survivor, Harper was appointed in 2012 to a cancer panel by then-President Obama.

Elissa Slotkin: The current U.S. representative for Michigan’s Seventh District, Slotkin has served in Congress since 2019 and currently lives in Lansing. She was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency after graduate school. Fluent in Arabic and Swahili, she served three tours in Iraq as a CIA analyst. During the George W. Bush administration, she worked on the Iraq portfolio for the National Security Council. During Barack Obama‘s presidency, she worked for the State Department and the Department of Defense. Slotkin was acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs from 2015 to 2017. Born in New York, but raised in Oakland County, Slotkin has degrees from Cornell and Columbia universities.

The primary elections will be held on August 6.