In a razor-thin result that exposes just how far left the Democratic Party has drifted, progressive activist and former public health bureaucrat Abdul El-Sayed claimed victory in Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary over moderate Congresswoman Haley Stevens.
El-Sayed, a Bernie Sanders/AOC-backed candidate who champions Medicare for All, has repeatedly attacked U.S. support for Israel and ran a grassroots campaign heavy on anti-corporate rhetoric, edging Stevens by roughly one percentage point after a bruising, high-spending fight. Several networks projected him the winner overnight while votes continued to be counted; the race was far closer than progressive polls had predicted.
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Stevens, the establishment choice endorsed by retiring Sen. Gary Peters, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, was heavily outspent by outside groups. El-Sayed’s side crowed about overcoming a massive financial disadvantage, but the near-tie underscores deep Democratic divisions in a critical swing state that President Donald Trump carried in 2024.
El-Sayed now advances to face former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers, who was unopposed for the GOP nomination and enjoys Trump’s backing. Rogers is positioned as the clear favorite against a candidate whose positions on healthcare socialization, foreign policy, and identity politics are far outside the Michigan mainstream.
🚨 JUST IN: Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers is OBLITERATING Muslim socialist Abdul El Sayed as the general election has officially begun
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 5, 2026
"I find it SHOCKING that I'm going to go up against a guy who believes America deserved 911!"
"I have NEVER seen someone so RADICAL, so… pic.twitter.com/EpC76REsvQ
It is reasonable to expect this result to energize Republican turnout and serve as another data point that Democrats continue choosing ideology over electability in battleground states. The party’s progressive faction scored a Midwest win, but it may prove pyrrhic in November when control of the Senate is on the line.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
