Progressive Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan primary in jolt to Democrats

He defeated moderate Haley Stevens, who was backed by the Democratic establishment, in a vote seen as a test of the party’s direction The Democratic Party’s progressive ⁠wing scored a high-profile victory on Wednesday when Abdul El-Sayed won the party’s US Senate nomination ⁠in Michigan, giving its anti-establishment message a boost ahead of November’s midterm elections. El-Sayed, a doctor whose campaign focused on healthcare, the economy and an end to unconditional military aid to Israel, was the first progressive to win a statewide primary in a state that US President Donald Trump carried in 2024. He will face Republican former congressman Mike Rogers in November. The vote, billed as a defining test of the party’s direction, became an election-night cliffhanger between El-Sayed and US congresswoman Haley Stevens, a moderate supported by Democratic leaders and pro-Israel groups. With 99 per cent of the estimated votes counted on Wednesday, El-Sayed led Stevens 48.5 per cent ‌to 47.5 per cent, according to Associated Press. “My hope is that our democracy will never be the same,” El-Sayed said at a press conference on Wednesday.

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