Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is facing criticism from fellow Democrats over comments he made about Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.

"If I win ... well y'all came at me so now I get to come at you, and you know, primarying people like John Fetterman, I have no problem to do that," El-Sayed said in comments from a Zoom meeting obtained by Politico.

"Ideally you put one ogre on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message, and all of a sudden starts to sound a lot different," El-Sayed added, referring to how he believes he can advance the progressive movement.

El-Sayed is locked in a contentious primary with Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., in the race to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters. Former Rep. Mike Rogers is the likely Republican nominee.

"Violent, vulgar threats have no place in a democratic electoral contest," said Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., a Stevens supporter, on X.

"With political violence on the rise, we need to be doing everything we can to lower the temperature — not raise it," Scholten added. "It's the American people who suffer most when we degrade the political process this way."

Fred Guttenberg, a gun control activist and Stevens supporter whose daughter was killed in the Parkland school shooting, also blasted El-Sayed in a post on X.

"That is what Abdul El-Sayed and his DSA movement think of Democrats and the party," Guttenberg said. "Make this easy Michigan. Move on from him."

A spokesperson for El-Sayed defended the Senate candidate in a statement.

"Abdul was clearly speaking metaphorically about the fact that he fully intends to support a primary against John Fetterman, who despite being elected to support the values Abdul fights for has sold out his voters and votes with Trump more than any other Democrat," the spokesperson said.

Fetterman dismissed El-Sayed's comments.

"I pick being Senator Shrek over being the Pontiac Platner any day," Fetterman said.

The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapper, lists the race as "Tossup."