The Democratic Establishment Is Running Scared in Michigan

Source: The New Republic · Bias: Left

Summary

No primary—especially a Senate primary—should go on this long. But Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, having dragged on for months, has turned into an interminably vicious grudge fest—one that’s not likely to subside until voters finally go to the polls on August 4 and choose between Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed.But the Michigan primary is also so bitter for the same reason that it has been so interesting. Of all of the 2026 races, this is the one that best captures the current fissures in the Democratic Party—and which seems to best predict where the fault lines of the 2028 presidential primary might lie. The biggest reason is that this race features the cleanest factional divides. Stevens, who currently represents the northern Detroit suburbs in Congress, is an establishment stalwart, backed by both party leaders and tens of millions in AIPAC money. El-Sayed—a former state public health official who ran a failed campaign for governor in 2018—is a progressive and longtime ally of Bernie Sanders and has made criticizing America’s backing of Israel’s genocide in Gaza a key plank in his campaign. Briefly adding to the intrigue was the race’s third leading candidate, Mallory McMorrow, a young member of Michigan’s state Senate, who attempted to triangulate between these positions but dropped out earlier this month without endorsing either candidate. If you want a race that captures the expected “lanes” of the 2028 primary—establishment, insurgent, middle—look to Michigan.In recent weeks, particularly after McMorrow’s exit, that race has also been fractious, bitter, and personal. Stevens’s surrogates and backers have argued El-Sayed is too radical and risks alienating swing voters needed to win a seat that is essential for Democratic hopes of taking the Senate. Multiple Stevens backers, including the centrist group Third Way and Hillary Scholten, who also represents Michigan in the House, have attacked El-Sayed for campaigning with Hasan Piker, the popular leftist streamer who has made controversial comments about September 11 and October 7. On Wednesday, Scholten also attempted to tie El-Sayed to Graham Platner, who dropped out of the Senate race in Maine amid multiple controversies, including allegations of rape and sexual assault. “Abdul El-Sayed and Graham Platner campaigned together. They fundraised together,” she said on CNN. That’s not actually true—they never campaigned together and only sent out two joint fundraising emails—but it gets at the increasingly vicious nature of the campaign and the personal nature of the attacks, which often avoid policy and instead focus on character. El-Sayed has attempted to force a focus on policy disagreements, but his backers, particularly his online allies, have ridiculed Stevens’s often awkward campaign appearances. After Stevens had a Howard Dean–ish moment of forced enthusiasm—“You better believe I’m gonna be doing it with a little bit of joy, a little bit of enthusiasm, a little bit of energy, and a little bit of stick it to ’em! Because that’s the Michigan way!”—the mockery grew so intense that El-Sayed released a video asking his supporters to quit making personal attacks on his opponent—and, more importantly, to keep the focus on policy. There are real policy disagreements between Stevens and El-Sayed, particularly over Israel. Stevens is a longtime backer, who once said, “Israel comes to me in my dreams.” El-Sayed, meanwhile, has made U.S. support for Israel a focal point of his campaign and a key point of distinction between himself and Stevens. That issue does have extra resonance in Michigan, given its sizable Muslim population, but the fight between El-Sayed and Stevens is one that Democrats will be having on a national stage very soon. That fight mirrors some of the contretemps of past Democratic campaigns—particularly the race between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in 2016, and the race between Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Joe Biden in 2020. As in those contests, a populist outsider is taking on an establishment figure by arguing that the Democratic Party needs to adopt more progressive positions. The schism over support for Israel obviously mirrors debates that dogged both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris after October 7, 2023. But what is most interesting about the Michigan race is how little policy has factored into the race, particularly in Stevens’s attacks on El-Sayed. At a debate earlier this month, Stevens essentially accused El-Sayed of being a prima donna—someone primarily running to get attention for himself. “I am not trying to sell a book or a podcast,” Stevens said in her opening remarks. “I’m the only one on this stage who doesn’t have a talent agent trying to pitch me for paid speeches.

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The Democratic Establishment Is Running Scared in Michigan
The New Republic

The Democratic Establishment Is Running Scared in Michigan

Left

No primary—especially a Senate primary—should go on this long. But Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, having dragged on for months, has turned into an interminably vicious grudge fest—one that’s not likely to subside until voters finally go to the polls on August 4 and choose between Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed.But the Michigan primary is also so bitter for the same reason that it has been so interesting. Of all of the 2026 races, this is the one that best captures the current fissures in the Democratic Party—and which seems to best predict where the fault lines of the 2028 presidential primary might lie. The biggest reason is that this race features the cleanest factional divides. Stevens, who currently represents the northern Detroit suburbs in Congress, is an establishment stalwart, backed by both party leaders and tens of millions in AIPAC money. El-Sayed—a former state public health official who ran a failed campaign for governor in 2018—is a progressive and longtime ally of Bernie Sanders and has made criticizing America’s backing of Israel’s genocide in Gaza a key plank in his campaign. Briefly adding to the intrigue was the race’s third leading candidate, Mallory McMorrow, a young member of Michigan’s state Senate, who attempted to triangulate between these positions but dropped out earlier this month without endorsing either candidate. If you want a race that captures the expected “lanes” of the 2028 primary—establishment, insurgent, middle—look to Michigan.In recent weeks, particularly after McMorrow’s exit, that race has also been fractious, bitter, and personal. Stevens’s surrogates and backers have argued El-Sayed is too radical and risks alienating swing voters needed to win a seat that is essential for Democratic hopes of taking the Senate. Multiple Stevens backers, including the centrist group Third Way and Hillary Scholten, who also represents Michigan in the House, have attacked El-Sayed for campaigning with Hasan Piker, the popular leftist streamer who has made controversial comments about September 11 and October 7. On Wednesday, Scholten also attempted to tie El-Sayed to Graham Platner, who dropped out of the Senate race in Maine amid multiple controversies, including allegations of rape and sexual assault. “Abdul El-Sayed and Graham Platner campaigned together. They fundraised together,” she said on CNN. That’s not actually true—they never campaigned together and only sent out two joint fundraising emails—but it gets at the increasingly vicious nature of the campaign and the personal nature of the attacks, which often avoid policy and instead focus on character. El-Sayed has attempted to force a focus on policy disagreements, but his backers, particularly his online allies, have ridiculed Stevens’s often awkward campaign appearances. After Stevens had a Howard Dean–ish moment of forced enthusiasm—“You better believe I’m gonna be doing it with a little bit of joy, a little bit of enthusiasm, a little bit of energy, and a little bit of stick it to ’em! Because that’s the Michigan way!”—the mockery grew so intense that El-Sayed released a video asking his supporters to quit making personal attacks on his opponent—and, more importantly, to keep the focus on policy. There are real policy disagreements between Stevens and El-Sayed, particularly over Israel. Stevens is a longtime backer, who once said, “Israel comes to me in my dreams.” El-Sayed, meanwhile, has made U.S. support for Israel a focal point of his campaign and a key point of distinction between himself and Stevens. That issue does have extra resonance in Michigan, given its sizable Muslim population, but the fight between El-Sayed and Stevens is one that Democrats will be having on a national stage very soon. That fight mirrors some of the contretemps of past Democratic campaigns—particularly the race between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in 2016, and the race between Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Joe Biden in 2020. As in those contests, a populist outsider is taking on an establishment figure by arguing that the Democratic Party needs to adopt more progressive positions. The schism over support for Israel obviously mirrors debates that dogged both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris after October 7, 2023. But what is most interesting about the Michigan race is how little policy has factored into the race, particularly in Stevens’s attacks on El-Sayed. At a debate earlier this month, Stevens essentially accused El-Sayed of being a prima donna—someone primarily running to get attention for himself. “I am not trying to sell a book or a podcast,” Stevens said in her opening remarks. “I’m the only one on this stage who doesn’t have a talent agent trying to pitch me for paid speeches.

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