by Rich Lowry
Kennedy didn’t defend his faith as a way of distracting from his own extremism and that of people around him.
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Abdul El-Sayed speaks to the media following a U.S. Senate debate in Southfield, Mich., October 21, 2026 (left); President John F. Kennedy (right).
Rebecca Cook/Reuters; Bettmann/Getty Images
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, thinks he’s another JFK, not in terms of charm or wit, but as a fellow victim of religious bigotry.
When he ran for president in 1960, Jack Kennedy indeed encountered anti-Catholic prejudice, including the preposterous claim that he’d take orders as president from the Vatican. This was irrational conspiracy-theorizing, whereas the questions that El-Sayed is facing about his family’s ties to extremist groups are well-founded.
About the Author
Rich Lowry is the editor in chief of National Review.
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Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, thinks he’s another JFK, not in terms of charm or wit, but as a fellow victim of religious bigotry.
When he ran for president in 1960, Jack Kennedy indeed encountered anti-Catholic prejudice, including the preposterous claim that he’d take orders as president from the Vatican. This was irrational conspiracy-theorizing, whereas the questions that El-Sayed is facing about his family’s ties to extremist groups are well-founded.
About the Author
Rich Lowry is the editor in chief of National Review.
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