Michigan’s attorney general says she does not feel safe attending her own party’s convention.
Dana Nessel, a Democrat who has served as Michigan’s attorney general since 2019, announced she will not attend the Michigan Democratic Party’s nominating convention this Saturday. Nessel is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to the post she has held for six years.
She made the announcement during an antisemitism roundtable hosted by her office. The event included Jewish community members and representatives from the Anti-Defamation League, among others.
Nessel, who is Jewish, was direct about her reasons. She said she does not expect to be welcomed and fears harassment if she shows up. “I don’t feel safe going,” she said. “I feel like my presence isn’t going to be welcome. I don’t want to get chased around. I don’t want to get harassed. I don’t want to get yelled and screamed at. I don’t want to get booed off the stage, irrespective of what I’m saying.”
She added that her concern is grounded in experience, not speculation. “I believe that if I go, that is what will happen because it’s been happening to me,” she said.
As originally reported, Nessel’s decision represents a notable split between a sitting statewide Democratic official and her own party’s base, and she has specifically cited what she describes as extremism within the party as the reason for her absence.
Nessel is one of the more prominent Democrats in Michigan, having won two statewide races. Her decision to publicly distance herself from the convention, and to explain that decision in the context of an antisemitism discussion, puts a sharp spotlight on tensions inside the Michigan Democratic Party.
She did not say she would skip quietly. She said it plainly, in a public forum, surrounded by Jewish community leaders and civil rights advocates, making her message difficult to ignore.
The convention is set for Saturday. Nessel will not be there.