Progressives notch victory against Schumer, party leaders with Abdul El-Sayed’s Michigan Senate win

El-Sayed Defeats Stevens in Michigan Democratic Senate Primary

Abdul El-Sayed won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in Michigan on Tuesday, defeating Rep. Haley Stevens in a close contest. With nearly all votes counted, El-Sayed received 48.6 percent to Stevens’s 47.3 percent, a margin of 1.3 percentage points, according to New York Times live results.

The race drew significant outside spending. Groups aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee directed tens of millions of dollars toward Stevens’s campaign. El-Sayed, a former Detroit health director, positioned himself as the more progressive candidate and secured endorsements from Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Stevens received late support from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Gary Peters, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

State Sen. Mallory McMorrow had been viewed by some strategists as a potential consensus candidate but withdrew in July after her campaign lost momentum. McMorrow had criticized El-Sayed for appearing on a stream hosted by Hasan Piker, whose statements on Israel have drawn accusations of antisemitism from critics.

The primary campaign grew contentious in its final weeks. Supporters of each candidate accused the other side of using sexist or Islamophobic language on social media. Rep. Hillary Scholten, a Stevens backer, publicly criticized some attacks on Stevens as sexist.

El-Sayed’s victory gives progressives a statewide win in a swing state, following several House primary successes this cycle. Adam Green, founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said the outcome showed voters rejected heavy outside spending. The group advocates for progressive policies and has backed candidates aligned with that wing of the party.

Stevens’s campaign received the majority of its funding from sources that included AIPAC-affiliated committees. El-Sayed’s supporters argued that the scale of outside money raised questions about her independence, while Stevens’s backers pointed to her congressional record and questioned El-Sayed’s electability against a Republican opponent.

The Michigan seat is one of several that Democrats view as necessary to regain a Senate majority. The party must net four seats in November. El-Sayed will face former Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee, in the general election. Rogers has expressed support for Israel, as did Stevens.

Peters, the retiring incumbent, had endorsed Stevens in the closing weeks of the primary. Whitmer’s endorsement of Stevens also did not prevent El-Sayed’s narrow win. Turnout and vote distribution in suburban and urban areas proved decisive in the final tally.

Both candidates raised substantial sums from individual donors and political action committees. The contest highlighted divisions within the Democratic coalition over foreign policy, campaign finance, and the best path to holding competitive seats.