Authored by Jacob Burg via The Epoch Times,
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Progressive Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated establishment candidate Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) to win the Michigan Democratic Senate primary in a contentious race that became a proxy fight for the broader battle within the party over its direction.
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks at a rally in Canton, Mich., on July 29, 2026. Jacob Burg/The Epoch TimesEl-Sayed beat his centrist opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), 48.5 percent to 47.5 percent, with 99 percent of the votes tabulated. The Associated Press called the race at 9:54 a.m. ET on Aug. 5.
The progressive will take on Republican Mike Rogers in November in the race for Michigan's battleground Senate seat.
El-Sayed faced more than $60 million in outside spending in support of Stevens, compared to around $4.6 million spent to support his campaign.
The race became a flashpoint in a wider ideological battle taking place nationwide in the Democratic Party between progressives and establishment centrists.
A number of progressive leaders, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and
