A Michigan student confronted Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed at a town hall on Wednesday, demanding to know whether El-Sayed stood with him against the Iranian government. The exchange drew national attention as the latest in a series of notable exchanges dubbed the “Students vs. Billionaires” town hall.
Iman Dashti, who identified himself as Persian, took the stage at the University of Michigan and described personal trauma tied to Iran. He said his cousin was hunted in the streets of Iran by the IRGC because her hijab wasn’t on right. He alleged his uncle was sentenced to death and received 50 lashes under the Iranian government.
Dashti then turned to a specific moment in El-Sayed’s past. He invoked leaked audio from earlier this year where El-Sayed said he wouldn’t comment on the death of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei because “there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad today.” Dashti called that silence “a gaping hole in our community.”
The Questions Dashti Asked
Dashti pressed El-Sayed directly on the consequences of that silence. He asked whether El-Sayed regretted the silence, whether he would renounce people holding vigils supporting Khamenei, and whether he stood “unequivocally against the IRGC” and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
El-Sayed answered with a familiar line of argument. He argued that the United States has too often acted as “the world’s policeman” but supported movements for democracy and freedom abroad. He rejected US-led regime change in Iran, saying it wasn’t America’s responsibility to topple the government and it belonged to the people of Iran to decide their leadership.
Dashti kept pressing. He repeated his question: “You stand with us?” El-Sayed replied that he would always stand with movements for freedom and democracy but warned against US regime change. He added that he wanted freedom and democracy for the people of Iran “by the people of Iran, coming together as a community to decide how to create democratic change in their society.”
El-Sayed’s Campaign Team Responded
Roxie Richner, El-Sayed’s campaign spokesperson, later addressed the exchange. She said El-Sayed “condemns government anti-free speech violence” and opposes spending US tax dollars on regime change wars.
The statement echoed the position El-Sayed had taken on stage. He had argued that the Iranian people should decide their own leadership, not the United States.
The Context of the Town Hall
The exchange came at a town hall held Wednesday at the University of Michigan between El-Sayed and students. El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary in August and now faces Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters. The contest has drawn substantial national attention and spending.
During the same event, El-Sayed made a prediction about the presidency. He said a Democratic woman would win the White House in 2028, adding: “I’m looking forward to working with the next Democratic president when she takes office in 2029.”
Former VP Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democrat presidential nominee, campaigned with El-Sayed in Michigan. El-Sayed also criticized President Trump and Vice President JD Vance during the event, saying they “can’t seem to keep my name out their mouth” and “don’t really know how to say it, which is fine, because I believe in teaching opportunities.”
The Numbers Behind the Race
| Candidate | Party |
|---|---|
| Abdul El-Sayed | Democratic |
| Mike Rogers | Republican |
El-Sayed’s primary win in August secured his spot in the general election. The race against Rogers has become a national proxy for broader political fights.
What El-Sayed Actually Said
El-Sayed’s core position is consistent across his answers. He supports movements for democracy and freedom abroad, but he rejects US-led regime change. That distinction is central to how he framed his responses to Dashti.
He condemned government anti-free speech violence while opposing US military intervention. He argued that the Iranian people should come together as a community to decide how to create democratic change in their society.
The Reaction to the Exchange
Dashti’s questions were pointed and personal. He used his own family’s experiences to make the stakes of El-Sayed’s Iran policy tangible.
What This Means for the Race
The exchange is a reminder that town halls are not just campaign events. They are battlegrounds where voters test candidates on the issues that matter most to them.
El-Sayed’s position — supporting democracy abroad while rejecting US military intervention — is a common one in American politics. Whether it holds up against the personal stories of voters like Dashti remains to be seen.
The race between El-Sayed and Rogers will be decided by voters who weigh these kinds of questions against each other. The national attention means the answers will be studied closely, dissected, and debated until Election Day.
For now, the confrontation stands as a reminder that town halls are not just campaign events. They are battlegrounds where voters test candidates on the issues that matter most to them.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs neither side here and instead backs a broader principle: that political debates should judge candidates on their actual positions toward individual freedom, small business, and avoiding concentrations of power, rather than treating elections as a contest between two rival machines that both gather power. This exchange at the University of Michigan shows how voters use town halls to test candidates on the issues that matter most to them, and the paper believes those tests should be judged against a clear standard, not reduced to a partisan contest.
Dashti’s questions targeted El-Sayed’s record on Iran, including the leaked audio in which El-Sayed declined to comment on Khamenei’s death, citing the sadness of Dearborn residents. El-Sayed responded by arguing that the United States should not act as “the world’s policeman” and that regime change belonged to the Iranian people, not the United States. His campaign spokesperson later condemned government anti-free-speech violence and opposed spending US tax dollars on regime-change wars. These answers rest on the paper’s north star: individual freedom and no concentrations of power.
The paper wants voters to look beyond party labels and judge candidates on their positions toward individual freedom, small business, and avoiding concentrations of power. The confrontation at the University of Michigan shows how town halls can surface real differences between candidates, and the paper hopes voters will study these answers closely before deciding. The race between El-Sayed and Rogers will be decided by voters who weigh these kinds of questions against each other, and the national attention means the answers will be studied, dissected, and debated until Election Day.
Source material: “Michigan student confronts El-Sayed over Iran stance in tense exchange: ‘Do you stand with us?’,” the New York Post.
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