Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan's Democratic Senate primary in major victory for party's progressive wing
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens says she will back El-Sayed's candidacy after narrow defeat
Abdul El-Sayed, an insurgent former public health official who harnessed Democratic frustration with the party establishment, narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan's U.S. Senate primary, setting up a crucial test for progressives in a key battleground state.
El-Sayed will face Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman, in a November midterm race that will help determine control of the Senate.
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that → win → Senate
His first challenge will be unifying Democratic factions after a bitter primary that offered divergent visions for a party desperate for a path back to power.
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that → unify → power
Stevens, who pledged her support for El-Sayed after conceding defeat, was backed by the Democratic establishment, including outgoing Sen. Gary Peters, whose retirement spurred a scramble to fill his seat.
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retirement → pledge → seat
El-Sayed promised a more aggressive approach for confronting entrenched corporate interests and U.S. President Donald Trump, and declared his victory was nothing short of a political earthquake despite only scraping by Stevens.
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victory → promise → Stevens
"In the words of Muhammad Ali, we shook up the world," he said.
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he → shake → world
Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, urged unity ahead of November.
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Hertel → urge → November
"We have got to work together to take this country back," Hertel said.
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Hertel → get → country
"I can tell you what we need is a fighter," he added.
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he → tell → what
Trump attacked El-Sayed on Wednesday, during a speech he gave at a casino in Las Vegas.
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he → attack → Vegas
"He doesn't love Israel.
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He → love → Israel
He doesn't love Jewish people.
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He → love → people
He hates them.
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He → hat → them
He hates them with a passion that burns in his heart, and there's not a fricking thing he can do about it," Trump said.
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Trump → hat → it
El-Sayed has condemned antisemitism and said criticism of Israel's assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories should not be equated with antisemitism.
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criticism → condemn → antisemitism
The Associated Press declared El-Sayed the winner after Wednesday morning updates from Wayne and Oakland counties, two of Michigan's largest counties in the Detroit area, confirmed that too few votes remained for Stevens to catch him.
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Stevens → declare → him
His victory was ultimately so narrow that it wasn't assured until almost all ballots cast statewide were counted.
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ballots → assure → ?
At the time AP declared him the winner, El-Sayed led Stevens by 14,893 votes — a margin of just under one percentage point — out of more than 1.5 million ballots counted.
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Sayed → declare → ballots
Progressives gaining strength
El-Sayed's win, however slim, represents a significant shift for the Democratic Party.
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win → gain → Party
In 2018 he lost the gubernatorial primary to Gretchen Whitmer, now the governor, by 21 percentage points.
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he → lose → points
The former health official campaigned on "Medicare for All," halting military aid to Israel and campaign finance reform.
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official → campaign → Israel
He had support from progressive leaders including Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who framed the race as a grassroots-focused movement and a broader fight against the establishment and big-money spending.
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who → have → establishment
Stevens — a four-term congresswoman and 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 (AIPAC) largest outlay ever in a single race.
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Stevens → back → race
Her campaign focused on manufacturing and the economy.
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campaign → focus → manufacturing
She stressed her past victories in tough races, saying she would be best positioned to beat Rogers.
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she → stress → Rogers
The race for the Senate in November will help decide which party controls the chamber in the last two years of Trump's term.
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party → help → term
Those stakes added heat to the primary, with moderates arguing that El-Sayed would have a harder time than Stevens against a Republican in the general election.
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Sayed → add → 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.
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which → win → Motors
Her campaign and allied groups have repeatedly highlighted that experience.
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campaign → ally → experience
Clear differences
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 El-Sayed has said he is not a democratic socialist, he found support from some who do.
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who → cast → some
That included Melat Kiros, who recently beat a longtime incumbent in a Democratic primary for a Denver-based House seat, and Hasan Piker, a progressive and controversial influencer online.
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who → include → seat
Kenneth Woodside, 87, of West Bloomfield, said he voted for El-Sayed over Stevens because "the nation is ready for someone who wants to take some more action rather than on the road we are now, which is on the road to an oligarchy and authoritarianism."
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which → say → oligarchy
Nessa Fuller, 51, of Birmingham, said she voted for Stevens because she will "fight to get the right things done, and she'll work with other people, which is really important to me."
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which → say → me
National groups poured unprecedented sums into the race, making it one of the country's biggest tests of outside spending.
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it → pour → spending
Michigan's Democratic Senate primary puts spotlight on big money and pro-Israel lobby
- Analysis
Can Washington force Israel to comply with a U.S.-Iranian deal it rejects?
- Podcast
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it → put → deal
What does it mean for the midterms?
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it → mean → midterms
Groups backing Stevens spent more than $50 million US, led by more than $30 million US from AIPAC and its affiliates.
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Groups → back → AIPAC
The spending thrust U.S. policy on Israel into the centre of the race even though the ads never mentioned it.
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ads → thrust → it
While El-Sayed called for ending military aid to Israel, Stevens maintained strong support for the relationship.
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Stevens → call → relationship
Israel became a contentious issue within the Democratic Party amid a war in Gaza that killed more than 73,000 Palestinians in its retaliatory offensive, according to figures from the Gaza Health Ministry, after about 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken in attacks by the militant group Hamas in October 2023.
With files from CBC News and Reuters
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hostages → become → News
The Aporia
