Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Democratic US Senate primary sets up a high-profile test this fall of whether an unabashedly progressive candidate can prevail in a politically divided swing state — with control of the Senate potentially at stake.
El-Sayed, a 41-year-old doctor whose campaign focused on healthcare, the economy and an end to unconditional military aid to Israel, is 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’s midterm elections.
Democrats, who had been deeply divided between El-Sayed and his more moderate opponent, US Representative Haley Stevens, rushed on Wednesday to portray the entire party as behind him. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who had endorsed Stevens, said Democrats would unify to defeat Rogers; Stevens herself vowed to help El-Sayed win.
“Whatever differences that we might have had in the primary, they pale in comparison to what unifies us,” El-Sayed said on Wednesday.
While Democrats have racked up a series of electoral victories since Trump returned to office last year, the Michigan contest again highlighted a central debate that has riven the party: whether to back progressive insurgents who have harnessed the left wing’s anti-establishment anger or moderate candidates who can appeal to swing voters.
Republicans wasted little time in attacking El-Sayed as too extreme for Michigan. Digital advertising from the party’s Senate campaign arm and an allied super PAC described El-Sayed as “dangerous” and “the most radical Senate candidate in America.”
Trump said on social media that El-Sayed’s victory was “great news” for the Republican Party. In a statement, Rogers wrote, “The choice this November is simple: common sense or complete insanity.”
Stevens supporters had argued for months that she was better positioned to win the general election in a state that Trump has won twice in the last three presidential elections.
El-Sayed’s backers, meanwhile, said his grassroots campaign had energized liberal voters as well as young people who are often disillusioned about politics. The primary election drew the highest turnout for any Democratic contest in state history, according to the state party chair.
