Table of Contents
Topline
Centrist Democrats coalesced around Abdul El-Sayed on Wednesday after he narrowly clinched the party’s Senate nomination in Michigan—while President Donald Trump and his allies highlighted El-Sayed’s progressive bonafides to boost their narrative the party is becoming too far left.
Michigan Democratic Senate primary winner Abdul El-Sayed claps during a press conference in front of the Spirit of Detroit statue on August 05, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Multiple Democrats who endorsed El-Sayed’s opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, backed El-Sayed in the wake of his victory, including Stevens.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who endorsed Stevens, also said they would support El-Sayed’s campaign in the general election against Republican state Rep. Mike Rogers.
In a joint statement with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who chairs the Democratic Senate campaign arm, Schumer said “Democrats are united by a common purpose: putting a check on Donald Trump by defeating his Republican enablers and taking back the Senate. We look forward to working with Abdul and Democrats across Michigan to win this seat in November.”
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who dropped out of the Democratic primary in July, endorsed El-Sayed after polls closed on Tuesday, but before the race was officially called.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who beat Rogers in 2024, stayed neutral in the race between El-Sayed and Stevens, but congratulated El-Sayed in a post on X after the race, writing, “there is nothing more important than the mission of the next 90 days: uniting, keeping this seat blue, flipping the House and Senate, and providing a real check on President Trump.”
There were still some signs of a divide among the party over El-Sayed’s victory, however, as Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., downplayed his win, telling reporters, “if this guy had a big movement, why did he barely just win? It sure wasn’t winning by 12,000 votes.”
Chief Critic
President Donald Trump called El-Sayed “a Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel” and said his win was “Great news for the Republican Party” in a post on Truth Social.” Vice President JD Vance warned El-Sayed could “God forbid” become president and “undo all the incredible work that we’ve been doing,”during an unrelated press conference Wednesday. Trump also told Fox News on Tuesday he thinks El-Sayed will be an easier opponent for Rogers than Stevens.
Tangent
El-Sayed expressed support for the Jewish community in a speech Wednesday, rejecting claims of antisemitism over his push to halt U.S. aid to Israel and criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. “My commitment to Jewish safety is the same commitment that I have to the safety of my own daughters,” he said. Groups affiliated with American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a prominent pro-Israel lobbying group, poured tens of millions of dollars into Stevens’ campaign, but suggested it would support Rogers in the general election, writing in a statement its members “remain determined to ensure that voters reject Dr. El-Sayed and his radical anti-Israel agenda in November.”
Key Background
El-Sayed, a former public health official and epidemiologist, was endorsed by prominent progressives, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. He won by a more narrow margin than expected—just one percentage point—despite most polls leading up to election day showing him leading by double digits. He is among several high-profile left-wing victories this primary season, including another contest in a Detroit-area congressional district on Tuesday, where democratic socialist state Rep. Donavan McKinney unseated Rep. Shri Thanedar. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, widely considered the face of the DSA movement, commented on El-Sayed’s victory Wednesday, telling reporters, “I am proud to be part of a movement of politicians and candidates who are looking to put working class Americans back at the heart of our politics, and that’s our focus here in New York City, and just from what we’re seeing in Michigan, it looks like that’s what Michiganders want there to be their focus to be come November.” El-Sayed—referred to as “mini-Mamdani” by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was not endorsed by the DSA, and told The Wall Street Journal earlier this week he is “not technically or practically DSA.”
further reading
Progressive El-Sayed Wins Michigan’s Democratic Senate Primary—Results Much Closer Than Expected (Forbes)
