‘As-Salamu Alaykum’: Dem House Candidate Deletes Video Condemning ‘Genocide in Gaza’ And ‘Terrors That Are Happening With Our ICE Agents’

Ohio Democratic House nominee Don Leonard's campaign quietly deleted a video from its YouTube channel where he condemned the "genocide in Gaza" and "terrors that are happening with our ICE agents here in the homeland." He also thanked his "Muslim brothers and sisters" for helping him secure his party's nomination.

Leonard, a former Ohio State University professor who denies being a democratic socialist despite supporting the Bernie Sanders-backed Working Families Party, posted the video in early May shortly after he won the primary for the 15th Congressional District, but is now nowhere to be found. He begins the video, a recording of which was obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, with a traditional Arabic greeting and promises to "represent the interests of Muslims."

"As-salamu alaykum my Muslim brothers and sisters," Leonard said. "We did it, and we did it together. We sent a signal that no longer can the Democratic Party simply run establishment candidates who are unwilling to speak truth about the genocide in Gaza or the terrors that are happening with our ICE agents here in the homeland."

"No longer will Muslims sit back and allow the Democratic process to unfold without them," he continued. "No longer will they hold their nose and simply vote for the lesser of two evils, but rather to demand representation and to support those candidates who are willing to represent the interests of Muslims and the shared interests of all Americans."

Leonard concluded the message with a request for continued support and said, "It will be my sacred responsibility to honor the relationship that we have built when I get to Washington."

It's unclear why Leonard's campaign, which did not respond to a request for comment, deleted the video, but he has since toned down his rhetoric since winning the primary. He's running against Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Carey to represent a district that, while considered competitive, is still rated as "likely Republican" by the Cook Political Report, which assesses races based on numerous polls.

During a March podcast interview, Leonard said he supported cutting off weapons exports to Israel and characterized Israel's defensive operations as "genocidal." He also called for America to rethink its relationship with the Jewish state and promised to never accept donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Since winning the primary, he's continued his criticism of AIPAC, but has avoided weighing in on Israel.

The Ohio branch of the Hamas-friendly Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) lobbying arm, meanwhile, endorsed Leonard in April. A super PAC controlled and funded by CAIR Action has since paid $9,016.37 to fund 10 text-message campaigns in support of Leonard, campaign finance filings show.

Elsewhere in the March podcast, Leonard said he is not a democratic socialist, but would "lie to the people of my district" to "get their votes" if he was, the Free Beacon reported. He went on to praise Sanders, the second time he'd commended the Vermont senator while denying being a democratic socialist.

Leonard has repeatedly shown a penchant for socialism. He donated $100 to the Working Families Party in December and praised the group's call to tax billionaires to bankroll government programs that would provide "Health Care You Can Rely On," "Child Care When and Where You Need It," and "Time to Spend With Your Family."

And in August 2025, he authored a paper arguing that the United States was "backsliding" due to "populist political outsiders" seeking to "dismantle institutional constraints on executive power." The country's best path forward, he wrote, is a "Polanyian counter-movement towards a new social-democratic order," a reference to the Hungarian socialist and economist Karl Polanyi.

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