Michigan Democratic Senate candidate accuses opponent of pro-Israel stance influenced by donor contributions

Hill Harper says Jewish representative Elissa Slotkin pandering for campaign ‘checks’

A Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan said his Jewish opponent’s support for Israel is driven by donor money, in an interview on Monday.

Hill Harper, a politician and actor known for his roles on CSI:NY and The Good Doctor said Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the frontrunner for Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, was pandering for campaign “checks” by not sufficiently criticizing Israel.

“My opponent still hasn’t called for a ceasefire. Probably won’t. Because why? Checks,” said Harper, while mimicking signing a checkbook.

Harper—who failed to note that Slotkin called for an Israeli ceasefire in February—was speaking in an interview with Forum magazine. His comments echo other far-left Democrats, including Rep. Ilhan Omar (Minn.), whose 2019 claim that congressional support for Israel was “all about the Benjamins” was widely condemned as anti-Semitic.

Harper’s remarks are part of a rise in anti-Israel attacks against Slotkin, the only Jewish member of Michigan’s congressional delegation, in a state with the largest Muslim population in the country.

So far in the campaign, Slotkin has tread a cautious line on the Israel-Hamas war. While Slotkin denounced Iran for its “unprecedented” aerial bombing of Israel last weekend, she has also admonished the Israeli military for civilian deaths and pushed for more humanitarian aid to Hamas-controlled Gaza.

But her criticism of the Jewish state hasn’t appeased anti-Israel activists in Michigan. On Monday, protesters rallied outside Slotkin’s press conference, which she had called to announce her collection of campaign signatures.

Activists waved a large Palestinian flag and banner reading: “Slotkin stop the genocide.” One protester accused Slotkin of having “blind support of Israel’s slaughter of the Gazans” in an interview with CBS News.

Political observers have warned that the Israel-Gaza debate could impact the presidential and down-ballot races in Michigan, a crucial swing state. In February, over 100,000 Democrats voted “uncommitted” instead of for President Joe Biden in the state’s primary, after anti-Israel activists organized a protest vote.

Slotkin remains the clear Democratic frontrunner in the Senate primary. A poll in March showed her leading Harper by 48 points. The Michigan race is expected to be one of the most competitive in the country and could decide party control of the U.S. Senate next fall.