Michigan Democrat Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is being pilloried on social media after it was revealed that, as a doctoral student, he conducted a study with controversial findings.

The candidate published a study titled “Interethnic mating and risk for preterm birth among Arab-American mothers: Evidence from the Arab-American Birth Outcomes Study” that reported that Arab-American mothers in Michigan who had children with non-Arab fathers had about an 18 percent higher chance of giving birth prematurely compared with Arab mothers who had children with Arab fathers.

The pattern showed up in later preterm births (around 34 to 36 weeks) rather than very early deliveries. However, the same link between non-Arab fathers and higher preterm risk did not appear among non-Arab white mothers in the same data.

El-Sayed and his co-author noted that similar patterns exist in other groups such as black-white couples and some Asian-American groups.

The study also examined the reasons for these results. They suggested that genetic differences between interracial parents could contribute to higher risks of problems like low birth weight or preterm birth.

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However, the authors also pointed out that several other studies show social and environmental factors such as stress, discrimination, differences in cultural habits, smoking, or socioeconomic conditions also have a significant influence.

Several right-leaning accounts criticized the study for its implications.

Sen. Ted Cruz said it is “science” with “a pre-ordained racist & eugenics outcome.”

Journalist Marc Thiessen asked, “El Sayed published a paper on the dangers of ‘interracial mating?’”

I won’t claim that El-Sayed favors eugenics or opposes interracial marriage because he hasn’t made any statements to that effect. But this is one of the times when I like to put the proverbial shoe on the other foot.

What if El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, had been involved in a study that produced similar results? We already know what would happen, don’t we? Democrats and their close friends and allies in the activist media would have a field day and would likely bomb the pearl necklace industry because of the constant pearl-clutching that would ensue.

Yet, when the left’s favorite socialist involves himself with this type of study, the most we will hear from them is a chorus of crickets.