The Democratic Party's progressive wing scored a high-profile victory on Wednesday when Abdul El-Sayed won the party's U.S. Senate nomination in Michigan, giving its anti-establishment message a boost ahead of November's midterm elections.
El-Sayed, a doctor whose campaign focused on healthcare, the economy and an end to unconditional military aid to Israel, was the first progressive to win a statewide primary in a state that President Donald Trump carried in 2024. He will face Republican former congressman Mike Rogers in November.
The vote, billed as a defining test of the party's direction, became an election-night cliffhanger between El-Sayed and U.S. Representative Haley Stevens, a moderate supported by Democratic leaders and pro-Israel groups. With 99% of the estimated votes counted on Wednesday, El-Sayed led Stevens 48.5% to 47.5%, according to the Associated Press.
"My hope is that our democracy will never be the same," El-Sayed said at a press conference on Wednesday. "From here on out, we can always point and say, 'No, this is the people's democracy, and we will always own it.'"
SPLIT WITHIN PARTY
El-Sayed's victory could intensify debate within Democratic ranks over the political appeal of economic populism, anti-establishment campaigning and a tougher approach toward Israel. Leading figures in the party had split their support: progressive Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren backed El-Sayed, while Stevens was endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who chairs the party's Senate campaign arm, congratulated El-Sayed in a statement.
"Democrats are united by a common purpose: putting a check on Donald Trump by defeating his Republican enablers and taking back the Senate," they said.
Many Stevens supporters had argued that the centrist Democrat was the more electable candidate in November in a state Trump won twice in the last three presidential elections. But El-Sayed's backers argued his campaign, which harnessed a groundswell of energy among younger voters, would increase turnout among the liberal base and first-time voters.
The contest to replace retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters had the highest turnout in the history of Michigan's Democratic primaries, the state party chairman said.
Democrats' uphill battle to win a Senate majority would be nearly impossible with a Michigan defeat in November. Even if Democrats manage to retain that seat and another competitive Democratic-held seat in Georgia, they would need to flip at least four Republican-held seats, including at least two in states that voted for Trump by double-digit margins.
REPUBLICANS IMMEDIATELY ATTACK
Stevens congratulated El-Sayed on a "rigorous campaign" and said she would offer her support to help him defeat Rogers in November. At his Wednesday press conference, El-Sayed sought to smooth over the sharp divides that characterized the primary contest.
"Whatever differences that we might have had in the primary, they pale in comparison to what unifies us," he said of Stevens.
Public opinion polls in recent days had suggested El-Sayed held a significant lead, but the results on Tuesday were far closer, a reminder that November's race is likely to be closely contested.
Republicans wasted little time in attacking El-Sayed as "dangerous" and "radical" in digital advertising from the party's Senate campaign arm and an allied super PAC.
"Great news for the Republican Party. El-Sayed, a Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel, is the projected winner in his race with the Socialist," Trump said in a social media post.
In a statement, Rogers wrote, "The choice this November is simple: common sense or complete insanity."
El-Sayed attacked Rogers as a Trump stooge on Wednesday and accused Republicans of trying to use his faith and full name - Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed - to scare voters.
"My name is not the reason you can't afford your groceries," he said. "You know what is? Their B.S. policies."
IMPLICATIONS FOR DEMOCRATS' FUTURE
Tuesday's result is likely to be scrutinized by prospective 2028 presidential contenders searching for a message to reconnect with voters after the party's loss to Trump in 2024.
The race served as a battleground between progressives and moderates over support for Israel, an issue that has played out in primaries nationwide this year. But unlike contests in liberal bastions, this was a statewide race in a Midwestern swing state for a seat Democrats must win if they have any hopes of securing a Senate majority in November.
Stevens benefited from tens of millions of dollars in spending by a pro-Israel super PAC. But analysts said one significant factor in El-Sayed's favor was that Michigan is home to some of the country's largest Arab American communities, where hostility to Israel runs deep. El-Sayed would be the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate if he prevails in November.
During the primary campaign, El-Sayed pointed to the money backing Stevens' campaign to bolster his grassroots appeal, arguing that he represented the working class against corporate interests.
On Wednesday, El-Sayed specifically reached out to Jewish voters, calling them his "sisters and brothers" and promising that he was committed to their safety.
Tuesday's results are consistent with broader signs of a leftward shift among Democratic voters. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday found self-described liberal voters now make up 71% of Democrats, up from 55% in 2012.
The poll also found deep Democratic skepticism of U.S. support for Israel. Only 16% of Democrats backed continued military and economic aid to Israel, while 57% opposed it.
