Abdul El-Sayed beats Haley Stevens in Michigan primary, lifts progressives

Detroit,UPDATED: Aug 6, 2026 02:08 IST

Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official, narrowly defeated Representative Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic primary for the US Senate, giving progressives a significant win in a key battleground state. He will now face Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman, in November in a contest that could help decide control of the Senate.

The primary exposed clear differences within the Democratic Party, with Stevens backed by the party establishment and El-Sayed presenting himself as an anti-establishment candidate. With outgoing Senator Gary Peters retiring, the race to replace him turned into a bitter contest, and El-Sayed's next challenge will be to bring together Democratic factions ahead of the general election.

Stevens conceded defeat and pledged her support to El-Sayed. Declaring victory, El-Sayed said his win was nothing short of a political earthquake despite the narrow margin. "In the words of Muhammad Ali, we shook up the world," he said.

The Associated Press declared El-Sayed the winner after updates in returns from Wayne and Oakland counties showed there were not enough votes left for Stevens to overtake him. At the time the AP called the race, El-Sayed was ahead by 14,893 votes, a margin of just under 1 percentage point, out of more than 1.5 million, or 15 lakh, ballots counted statewide.

His victory, though slim, marked a notable shift for Democrats. In 2018, El-Sayed had lost the gubernatorial primary to now-Governor Gretchen Whitmer by 21 percentage points. This time, he campaigned on Medicare for All, ending military aid to Israel and campaign finance reform, and won support from progressive leaders including Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Senator Chris Van Hollen said El-Sayed's victory "should be a wake-up call to the Washington Democratic establishment". Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel stressed the need for unity after the primary, saying, "We have got to work together to take this country back."

The race is seen as a must-win for Democrats because it will help decide which party controls the chamber in the final two years of Donald Trump's term. That raised the stakes in the primary, with moderates arguing that El-Sayed would face a tougher challenge than Stevens against a Republican in November.

Stevens, a four-term congresswoman, was first elected 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 focused on manufacturing and the economy, and she argued that her record in difficult races made her the stronger candidate to defeat Rogers.

El-Sayed argued that Democrats must reject corporate influence and adopt a more progressive agenda. While he has said he is not a democratic socialist, he drew support from some members of that group. Those at his watch party included Melat Kiros, who recently defeated a longtime incumbent in a Democratic primary for a Denver-based House seat, and Hasan Piker, a progressive online influencer.

The differences between the candidates were also reflected among voters. Kenneth Woodside, 87, of West Bloomfield, said he voted for El-Sayed 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". Nessa Fuller, 51, of Birmingham, said she voted for Stevens because she will "fight to get the right things done, and she will work with other people, which is really important to me".

Outside groups spent large sums on the Senate race, making it one of the country's biggest tests of outside spending. Groups backing Stevens spent more than USD 50 million, including more than USD 30 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the largest investment ever by the organisation, which supports pro-Israel candidates. "We took on a machine," El-Sayed said.

Support for Israel was a major divide in the contest. El-Sayed called for an end to military aid to Israel, while Stevens maintained strong support for the relationship. AIPAC said on Wednesday that it would oppose El-Sayed and "his radical anti-Israel agenda" in the November election.

In another key Michigan race, state Representative Donavan McKinney defeated Representative Shri Thanedar in the Democratic primary for the heavily Democratic 13th district in Detroit. McKinney had argued that the city should once again have a Black representative in Congress. After Thanedar's 2022 win, Detroit had no Black representation in Congress for the first time since the early 1950s.

El-Sayed's narrow win now sets up a high-stakes November contest against Rogers, while Democrats in Michigan face the task of closing ranks after a divisive primary that highlighted the party's ideological split.

With PTI Inputs

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