The Dispute Index

Curtis Hertel

Portrait of Curtis Hertel
David Olds

Curtis Hertel is chair of the Michigan Democratic Party

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What DI has documented

DI has documented statements by Curtis Hertel on 2026 Midterm Elections, Islamophobia, and U.S. Politics. Read the quotations, original sources and related cases below.

Topics in this coverage

Statements by Curtis Hertel

Portrait of Curtis Hertel

Curtis Hertel

Role at the time: Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party

Condemned

Statement summary

In a statement issued after Rogers's September 10 convention speech, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said Rogers was "trafficking in dishonest, Islamophobic attacks" to distract from how, in Hertel's words, Rogers's and Trump's agenda is "spiking costs and hurting Michiganders." The Michigan Advance reported the statement.

“trafficking in dishonest, Islamophobic attacks because he wants to distract from how his and Trump’s agenda is spiking costs and hurting Michiganders.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Rogers uses RNC midterm platform to attack El-Sayed as Dems push back against Islamophobic rhetoricSection headed "Democrats label Rogers' remarks as pure Islamophobia": Richner's statement in its opening paragraphs and Hertel's statement in its closing paragraphs.
Why we used this label

The reference point is Rogers's use of a 9/11 accusation against El-Sayed, and the Islamophobia charge El-Sayed raised in response. Hertel, reacting to Rogers's September 10 convention speech, called Rogers's attacks on El-Sayed dishonest and Islamophobic. The Michigan Advance framed the remark as a response to Rogers's rhetoric about El-Sayed's heritage, and Hertel's quoted words do not single out the 9/11 accusation. The statement expressly criticizes the conduct under scrutiny, so we labeled it Condemned.

Read statementMike Rogers’s 9/11 accusation against Abdul El-Sayed
Portrait of Curtis Hertel

Curtis Hertel

Role at the time: Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party

Condemned

Statement summary

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel criticized Rogers’s September 10 convention remarks as dangerous and desperate. The available reporting does not establish that Hertel specifically addressed the campaign-finance allegation.

“Rogers’ remarks were dangerous and desperate, and they were beneath the office he seeks.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Rogers uses RNC midterm platform to attack El-Sayed as Dems push back against Islamophobic rhetoricSection headed "Democrats label Rogers' remarks as pure Islamophobia": Richner's statement in its opening paragraphs and Hertel's statement in its closing paragraphs.
Why we used this label

Hertel rejected the characterization advanced in Rogers's remarks. His statement concerned the address overall, so we do not treat it as a direct response to the campaign-finance claim.

Read statementMike Rogers's allegation about Abdul El-Sayed's campaign received funding from a terrorist organization

A participant is a subject of the case. A speaker has a statement documented in it. A commentator has an opinion or editorial documented in it.