El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate primary

By KATIE GLUECK, KELLEN BROWNING and SHANE GOLDMACHER

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive and a vocal critic of Israel, edged Rep. Haley Stevens, a moderate, early Wednesday to win the Michigan Senate Democratic primary, according to The Associated Press.

It was a high-profile victory for the ascendant political left, though the rancorous race was ultimately far closer than polls had suggested, with El-Sayed leading by less than a percentage point Wednesday morning. He will face former Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican, in a general election clash that could determine control of the Senate.

On Wednesday morning, El-Sayed and Democrats from across the ideological spectrum raced to project party unity after a bitter and expensive primary campaign.

Speaking at a rally in Detroit, El-Sayed hailed Stevens as “one of the most committed public servants that you’ll ever meet.” He also extended a hand to the broader electorate, urging voters regardless of party to support him if “you believe, like me, that you ought to be able to afford your groceries.”

El-Sayed, the Michigan-born son of Egyptian immigrants, also issued a warning to Republicans who may seek to weaponize his name or otherwise engage in Islamophobic signaling.

“My name is not raising your gas prices,” he said. “My name is not taking us to war. My name is not the reason you can’t afford your groceries.”

Stevens called El-Sayed on Wednesday morning to concede the race, a spokesperson for her campaign said. On social media, Stevens wrote that she had offered him “my full support as we work to defeat Mike Rogers.”

Throughout the primary, the question of which candidate was best positioned to win in November was a central feature of the race.

El-Sayed and his allies argued that his populist rhetoric would energize voters across the political spectrum who are unhappy with the status quo. He plainly tapped into simmering Democratic fury with the party establishment, and with President Donald Trump.

But many Democratic leaders had rallied around Stevens, a centrist, fearful that the left-wing views espoused by El-Sayed, a former public health official and a proponent of universal healthcare, could imperil the party’s chances of defending a crucial seat in a closely divided political battleground.

The Michigan Senate primary now is the most significant triumph for the political left this year. The general election there could pose the movement’s biggest test yet, measuring whether left-wing candidates can galvanize enough voters to beat Republicans in swing territory.

The Senate primary was also defined by fierce debates over Israel. El-Sayed overcame $60 million in outside money supporting Stevens, including about $32 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a major pro-Israel group whose involvement became a source of frequent conflict in the contest.

In his speech Wednesday, El-Sayed continued to attack AIPAC, but promised Jewish voters that his commitment to “Jewish safety is the same commitment that I have to the safety of my own daughters.”

Here’s what else we’re covering:

— Where Michigan moved left: Rep. Shri Thanedar, a second-term Democrat, lost to a democratic socialist challenger, state Rep. Donavan McKinney, becoming the latest Democratic incumbent to lose amid a surge of anti-incumbent fervor this cycle. Progressives also won a Michigan Democratic primary in a district that included Lansing, where William Lawrence, an organizer, beat two centrist Democrats in a House race that is expected to be competitive this fall.

— Where the left hit its limit: In Missouri, Rep. Wesley Bell fended off a primary challenge from former Rep. Cori Bush, a democratic socialist.

— The next big test: El-Sayed’s general-election campaign will measure whether an insurgent and proudly left-wing candidate can win in a moderate state.