Anti-Israel progressive Abdul El-Sayed has won Michigan's Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, defeating U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in a massive victory for the party's progressive wing in a battleground state.
The real test of El-Sayed's and progressives' strength will now come in a November matchup against Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman who ran unopposed for the GOP nomination. The seat is pivotal to Democrats' chances of flipping the Senate and El-Sayed will face the challenge of uniting a divided Democratic base after a bruising primary.
The race remained tight throughout Tuesday night, with a winner not declared until early Wednesday. In his final remarks at a primary night party before the race was called, El-Sayed said "tomorrow we begin to mend fences."
El-Sayed's campaign said Stevens called to concede Wednesday.
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Abdel El-Sayed won Michigan's Democratic primare for the US Senate
(Photo: Rebecca Cook/Reuters)
El-Sayed's win represents a significant shift for the Democratic Party; in 2018 he lost the gubernatorial primary to now-Gov. Gretchen Whitmer by 21 percentage points.
El-Sayed, a former health official, campaigned on Medicare for All, halting military aid to Israel and campaign finance reform. He had support from progressive leaders including Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who framed the race as a grassroots-focused movement and a broader fight against the establishment and big-money spending.
He has accused Israel of “apartheid” and “genocide,” called the Israeli government as “evil” as Hamas and demanded an end to all U.S. assistance to Israel.
He also drew anger from members of Michigan’s Jewish community after rejecting Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, arguing that such a definition was fundamentally incompatible with liberal values.
Stevens, a more moderate candidate, was backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and tens of millions in outside spending, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's largest outlay ever in a single race.
Now comes the more difficult challenge for Democrats: uniting the party to defeat Rogers, for whom Republicans have already reserved large sums of money ahead of the general election. Democrats consider the seat a must-win if they are to flip control of the Senate this year.
El-Sayed called for unity to defeat Rogers
Early Tuesday evening, El-Sayed's supporters in Detroit's Majestic Theatre cheered at the first batches of votes, before mellowing. Hours later Stevens' previously subdued partygoers roared as she narrowed the margin.
AIPAC poured over $32 million into El-Sayed challenger's campaign
(Photo: Finn Gomez / Getty Images North America / AFP, Robin Buckson/Pool via Reuters)
"Whatever happens tonight," El-Sayed told a thinned but still energetic crowd, "we have a responsibility to ensure that we unite, unite to make sure that Mike Rogers never sees the inside of the U.S. Senate."
El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, campaigned on Medicare for All, campaign finance reform and ending military aid to Israel.
Stevens, a four-term congresswoman, focused on manufacturing and the economy. She stressed her past victories in tough races, saying she would be best positioned to beat Rogers.
Stevens benefited from tens of millions of dollars in outside spending, including the largest investmentin a race ever from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which supports pro-Israel candidates.
Michigan is a must-win Senate race for Democrats
The race will help decide which party controls the chamber in the last two years of President Donald Trump's term. Those stakes have added heat to the rivalry, with moderates arguing that El-Sayed would have a harder time than Stevens against a Republican in the general election.
Stevens won election to Congress in 2018 after serving as chief of staff to President Barack Obama's auto task force, which helped oversee the federal rescue of General Motors and Chrysler. Her campaign and allied groups have repeatedly highlighted that experience.
El-Sayed on the campaign trail
(Photo: Sarah Rice / Getty Images North America / AFP)
El-Sayed cast himself as the anti-establishment candidate and argued that Democrats need to reject corporate influence and embrace a more progressive agenda.
While the candidate has said he is not a democratic socialist, he found support from some of the group's members. That included Melat Kiros, who recently beat a longtime incumbent in a Democratic primary for a Denver-based House seat and was at El-Sayed's watch party. Also there was Hasan Piker, a progressive and controversial influencer online.
Outside influences spent millions on the Senate race
National groups poured unprecedented sums into the race, making it one of the country's biggest tests of outside spending.
Groups backing Stevens spent more than $50 million, led by more than $30 million from AIPAC and its affiliates.
El-Sayed repeatedly attacked the role of corporate and pro-Israel money in the race, describing Stevens as “a walking suit with a fat AIPAC bank account.”
The spending thrust Israel policy into the center of the race even though the ads never mentioned it. While El-Sayed called for ending military aid to Israel, Stevens maintained strong support for the relationship.
Israel became a contentious issue within the Democratic Party amid the war in Gaza following the Hamas October 7 massacre.