El-Sayed Wins Michigan by 1 Point as Progressive Wave Reshapes Midterms

Abdul El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens by fewer than 15,000 votes in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary Tuesday, a margin of under 1 percentage point, after the American Israel Public Affairs Committee spent roughly $30 million in a failed effort to defeat him.

"The new Democratic Party is going to be broad-based. It's going to be open and encouraging the participation of working-class people, of young people, of lower-income people," said Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent senator, during a call with reporters Wednesday. "That is the direction in which we are heading, and I think that is unstoppable."

Turnout in the Michigan Democratic primary reached 1,528,280 ballots counted as of noon Wednesday, surpassing the roughly 1,181,000 votes in the 2020 Senate primary and the approximately 1,131,000 in the 2018 gubernatorial primary. El-Sayed, who would become the first Muslim senator, now faces Republican Mike Rogers in November in a race important to Democratic hopes of flipping the Senate.

The result extends a progressive wave across multiple states. In Michigan's 7th Congressional District, DSA-affiliated Will Lawrence won his three-way primary by 15 percentage points, while in the 13th District, state Rep. Donavan McKinney unseated incumbent Shri Thanedar. In Florida, DSA-backed candidates Oliver Larkin and Angie Nixon are challenging establishment Democrats in the August primary.

AIPAC's $30 Million Gamble Backfires

El-Sayed's campaign centered on his slogan "money out of politics, money in your pockets, Medicare for All," and he made AIPAC's spending a centerpiece of his message. The group's decision to pour $30 million into the race — supporting Stevens, who in 2023 proclaimed at a Detroit menorah-lighting ceremony that "I see Israel in my dreams" — became a liability rather than a credential. El-Sayed called Israel's military campaign in Gaza a "genocide" and described the Israeli government as "evil," positions that Sanders said do not constitute antisemitism.

"To be critical of the right-wing extremist government of Netanyahu and his horrific policies in Gaza does not make you antisemitic," said Sanders, who is Jewish.

Trump, campaigning in Las Vegas Wednesday, called El-Sayed a communist and said "he doesn't love Jewish people. He hates them." El-Sayed responded: "My commitment to Jewish safety is the same commitment to the safety of my own daughters."

The November Math

The general election matchup between El-Sayed and Rogers — a former congressman whom Senate Republican leader John Thune called "a great candidate, very experienced" — will test whether the progressive message can win in a battleground state. Rogers called El-Sayed an "extremist" who represents "complete insanity," while AIPAC said it remains "determined to ensure that voters reject Dr. El-Sayed and his radical anti-Israel agenda in November."

The stakes extend beyond Michigan. The WSJ editorial board noted Wednesday that the DSA is the only faction offering a coherent policy agenda this cycle, with Republicans failing to articulate a response to affordability concerns and Democrats divided on healthcare and taxation. The progressive wave in the primaries suggests voters are choosing clarity over the "mushy middle" that has defined recent Democratic strategy.

Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, whose retirement opened the seat, said El-Sayed needs to reach out to unify the party. "I'm sure he will, and that it has to start immediately, which, he assured me will happen," Peters said.

The last time a progressive insurgent won a high-profile primary in a battleground state was 2018, when Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's upset in New York's 14th District reshaped the party's internal dynamics. El-Sayed's victory — by a far narrower margin — carries similar implications for the 2028 presidential cycle, as the party's progressive wing consolidates power ahead of the post-Trump era.

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