Republicans cast Muslim Democrats as chief enemies in ‘dangerous’ midterm pitch

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The Hill's Headlines — September 12, 2026

The Hill's Headlines — September 12, 2026

Republicans are elevating anti-Muslim rhetoric as a key part of their midterm pitch, prompting sharp rebuke from Democrats and political observers. 

The attacks ramped up at Republicans’ first-ever midterm convention in Dallas this past week, where a host of top GOP figures called out New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, two of the country’s most prominent Muslim American Democrats.

The attacks are part of a broader effort by the GOP to turn prominent Muslim figures on the left into national symbols of the Democratic Party, tying them to issues including immigration, crime and what Republicans, like Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas), describe as the spread of sharia law. As Cruz used his convention speech to amplify concerns about sharia law in America, calling out Mamdani, El-Sayed and other Democrats, a shout of “he should be shot” could be heard from the crowd. 

El-Sayed, who’s up against former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) in a battleground Michigan Senate race, has responded that he hopes Republicans would “call it out for what it is: a call to violence that ought to be condemned across the board.” Mamdani, who was commemorating the 25th anniversary of 9/11 in New York on Friday, has not responded publicly. 

It’s unclear whether Cruz could hear the audience member from the stage, and he didn’t acknowledge the shout. But the moment stood out as the second day of the convention marked the first anniversary of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination with condemnations of political violence. 

“It is deeply alarming and unacceptable that Senator Ted Cruz carried on with his speech amid loud, explicit calls to assassinate prominent politicians, including two American Muslims,” the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the country, said in a statement. 

“Failing to denounce such dangerous rhetoric normalizes political violence and endangers public servants and community members........

© The Hill