El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Primary in Progressive Victory
Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive public health official and former Detroit health director, narrowly defeated U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, delivering a landmark victory for the party’s progressive wing and a significant setback to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which spent record sums to defeat him. The race was called by the Associated Press early Wednesday morning, with El-Sayed leading Stevens by 14,893 votes — just under 1 percentage point — out of more than 1.5 million ballots counted, the most in recent state history.
El-Sayed will now face Republican Mike Rogers in November in a race that could help determine control of the U.S. Senate. If elected, he would become the first Muslim U.S. senator in history.
A Remarkable Comeback
El-Sayed’s victory represents an extraordinary political resurgence. Seven years after losing Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial primary to Gretchen Whitmer by more than 20 percentage points, the 41-year-old epidemiologist — who has never held elected office — overcame more than $60 million in outside spending and an opponent backed by many of Michigan’s top Democrats, including outgoing Sen. Gary Peters and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.
“Abdul’s victory was, in my opinion, the most extraordinary victory that I can think of in modern American politics,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, a leader of the progressive movement and early supporter of El-Sayed’s candidacy.
El-Sayed launched his campaign in April 2025 with a staff of four, visiting 110 cities and hosting more than 500 events while building a volunteer network of 12,000 people. “Back in April, I remember talking to a room of five people,” he said in his victory speech. “It was an opportunity for us to share a honest conversation about pain and about purpose. And I’ve been able to have 500 more of those discussions over the past 15 months.”
“In the words of Muhammad Ali, we shook up the world,” El-Sayed said early Wednesday, standing before The Spirit of Detroit statue.
Record Spending and the AIPAC Factor
The race became one of the most expensive Democratic Senate primaries in U.S. history, with outside groups backing Stevens spending more than $60 million. AIPAC’s political arm, the United Democracy Project, spent $30,638,639.63 — a record for the organization, according to Al Jazeera. Additional spending came from A Stronger Michigan PAC, funded by the Center Forward nonprofit, and other dark-money groups.
El-Sayed’s campaign raised $14.5 million directly compared to Stevens’ $11.9 million, but he was vastly outspent overall. He framed the spending disparity as a central issue of the race, arguing it demonstrated the corrupting influence of money in politics.
“We took on a machine,” El-Sayed said at a press conference Wednesday. “You’re not supposed to be able to beat $70m of outside spending, a record amount of money spent in a campaign against a Democrat in a primary, in any campaign. You’re not supposed to be able to beat that. And what we showed is that the power of our many is greater than the power of their money.”
A Test for the Progressive Movement
El-Sayed’s victory gave progressives evidence that their politics can prevail in a key battleground state, not just in deep-blue districts. He campaigned on Medicare for All, ending military aid to Israel, and campaign finance reform, with support from Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and other progressive leaders.
“Abdul El-Sayed is now the tip of the spear for the theory that shake-up-the-system economic fighters can win in swing states,” said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. The November race, Green added, is “put up or shut up time” for the movement.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, another progressive who endorsed El-Sayed, said the victory “should be a wake-up call to the Washington Democratic establishment.”
The result also delivered a significant blow to AIPAC, which has signaled it will continue opposing El-Sayed in November, saying it would oppose him and “his radical anti-Israel agenda.” Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute, said voters “did not buy” the avalanche of negative ads targeting El-Sayed. “I am thrilled for the rest of the country to learn that Michigan is not going to take it,” Berry told Al Jazeera.
The Narrow Margin and Unification Challenge
Despite the progressive narrative, the race was extraordinarily close. Nearly half of Tuesday’s primary voters backed Stevens, who argued throughout the campaign that her more moderate approach and history of winning competitive races made her better positioned to defeat Rogers.
Stevens called El-Sayed early Wednesday to concede, pledging her support. “I want to congratulate Abdul El-Sayed on winning the Democratic nomination for US Senate,” she said in a statement. “He is a doctor, a community health official, a Rhodes Scholar, and a dedicated Michigander. I am proud to offer my support as he takes on Mike Rogers in the general election.”
Michigan Democrats are expected to gather for a unity breakfast Thursday before a public rally Friday. Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, said the primary’s ideological fight was not itself a problem. “I don’t think that having a robust discussion is a bad thing,” Hertel said. “What I think is important is that we are united afterwards. We will unite together, and we will win this race, because we have to.”
The November Challenge
El-Sayed now faces a formidable general election opponent in Mike Rogers, a former seven-term congressman who narrowly lost the 2024 Senate race to Elissa Slotkin by 19,000 votes in a state Trump carried by 80,000. The Senate Republican campaign arm has already reserved $45 million in Michigan advertising to support Rogers.
Rogers is attempting to become the first Michigan politician to win a U.S. Senate seat after a previous loss — all 12 previous retread candidacies have failed, according to Smart Politics.
President Trump celebrated El-Sayed’s victory as “great news” for Republicans, calling him a “Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel” on Truth Social, despite El-Sayed’s frequent denunciations of antisemitism.
El-Sayed’s victory came amid a broader wave of progressive wins in Michigan’s primaries, including William Lawrence in the 7th Congressional District, Donavan McKinney unseating Shri Thanedar in the 13th District, and Yousef Rabhi defeating Ann Arbor Mayor Chris Taylor, as Michigan Public reported. However, establishment Democrats also won key races in Missouri and Virginia, underscoring the party’s ongoing internal divisions.
What to Watch
El-Sayed’s first challenge will be unifying Democratic factions after the bitter primary. The unity events scheduled for Thursday and Friday will be early tests of party cohesion. His grassroots, volunteer-driven campaign model will face a stark test against the $45 million in Republican advertising already reserved. And his positions on Israel and Gaza — which made him a target of unprecedented outside spending — will likely remain central to the general election contest.
As El-Sayed told supporters early Wednesday: “Tomorrow we begin to mend fences. There is so much more that unites us than divides us.”
He also had a direct message for his Republican opponent: “Mike — and I know you’re listening, Mike — we are coming for you.”