Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is enthusiastically touting the endorsement of Horace Sheffield III, an influential Detroit pastor and radio host who once heaped praise on Nation of Islam minister Louis Farrakhan.
Sheffield endorsed El-Sayed on air in November 2025, with the Senate hopeful issuing a press release to commemorate the occasion and saying that he was “deeply honored” to have his support. In May 2013, Sheffield gave a speech introducing Farrakhan to a gathering of religious leaders where he praised the controversial cleric for his leadership and accused outside forces of slandering him.
“We need someone to give us direction. I believe we have a leader here that can organize us,” Sheffield said, referring to Farrakhan, according to a media outlet founded by Farrakhan.
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Before Sheffield lauded the Nation of Islam leader, he had racked up an extensive record of controversial remarks slammed as anti-Semitic or as instances of anti-White racism.
In 1996, for instance, Farrakhan accused Jews of being “wicked deceivers of the American people” who have “sucked their blood.” A year later, he suggested that “people will never be free in this country” until they are liberated from the “tremendous amount of influence” Jews exert over the American government.
Shortly before Sheffield praised Farrakhan in May 2013, the Nation of Islam minister stated that “Jews are the most violent of people” in February 2012.
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Farrakhan also called White people “the skunk of the planet earth” and suggested that Europeans are not yet fully evolved human beings.
Following these controversial statements, Sheffield suggested during his 2013 introductory remarks that Farrakhan was a truth teller whom the establishment was trying to silence.
“They want to silence people who tell us the truth, and we know why this is happening and who is doing it, but we need some help with how to overcome it,” Sheffield said during his speech.
After the 2013 event, Farrakhan continued his habit of controversial remarks, calling Jews “” in 2018.
Despite Sheffields praise of a highly controversial cleric, El-Sayeds campaign has worked with him to a considerable degree.
In June, Sheffield stopped by El-Sayeds campaign office to film a promotional video for the candidate. More recently, the Washington Free Beacon <a h
