Progressives appear close to victory against Schumer, party leaders with Abdul El-Sayed’s Michigan Senate lead
Progressive Abdul El-Sayed was on the precipice of a Democratic primary win in Michigan on Wednesday morning, clinging to a narrow lead in an extremely tight race against Rep. Haley Stevens for the Democratic Senate seat.
A win for the progressive former public health official would come as a shock to the Democratic establishment and for AIPAC, D.C.’s top Israel lobby. Stevens, a moderate establishment-backed candidate, has received tens of millions of dollars from AIPAC in support of her campaign.
Votes continued to be counted Wednesday morning, and despite his narrow lead, El-Sayed appeared to be gearing up for the general election in November, telling MS NOW that his team was “focused on trying to figure out how we bring the party together” to defeat the Republican nominee, Mike Rogers.
Both El-Sayed and Stevens took the stage after midnight to share their optimism with voters.
El-Sayed also appeared ready for the general election during his midnight speech, telling supporters: “Tomorrow, we begin to mend fences. Whatever happens tonight, we have a responsibility to assure that we unite to make sure that Mike Rogers never sees the inside of the U.S. Senate.”
“We knew this was going to be a close race, and that’s exactly what we’ve got: a close race,” Stevens said, according to the New York Times. “But friends, I am feeling good about this race. I am feeling fired up.”
El-Sayed ran as the clear progressive choice in a three-way race that narrowed in July with the exit of state senator Mallory McMorrow, who was once seen as a middle candidate that could reach both progressives and centrists. McMorrow gained initial steam but ultimately collapsed after criticizing El-Sayed for appearing on a Twitch stream with Hasan Piker, a popular progressive streamer whose comments about Israel have been criticized as antisemetic by some.
El-Sayed locked up support from the party’s progressive wing in Congress, including from Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. As a result, his win would be a major rallying cry for the movement, which scored several commanding victories in House primaries against Democratic incumbents this cycle.
Concerns about electability also hovered closely over the race. El-Sayed’s ties to the progressive wing and support for progressive stances remain viewed by establishment-lane Democrats as a potential hindrance, should he face Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers for the seat in the fall.
Sen. Gary Peters, the moderate incumbent who chose not to run for re-election this year and put the seat into play, endorsed Stevens in the waning weeks of the race, as did Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
El-Sayed or Stevens will face Rogers for the seat that is central to Democrats’ pathway to winning back the Senate this year. The Democratic party is eyeing pickup opportunities in Texas, Alaska, Ohio, North Carolina and Maine.
