Michigan Democrats are attempting to repair divisions after a bitter primary that left Abdul El-Sayed as their Senate nominee in a contest expected to be among the closest of November’s elections.
El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official, narrowly defeated Representative Haley Stevens for the Democratic nomination on 4 August. He will face Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman who came within a fraction of a percentage point of winning a Michigan Senate seat in 2024.
The result has heightened the stakes for Democrats, who must retain the seat being vacated by retiring Senator Gary Peters if they are to have a realistic chance of regaining control of the Senate.
El-Sayed’s victory exposed a sharp divide between the party’s progressive base and its establishment. He was backed by Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the United Auto Workers, while Stevens had the support of Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Mr Peters.
Stevens has since pledged her “full support” for El-Sayed and has appeared alongside him at party events. Ms Whitmer has also backed his candidacy, while the Michigan Democratic Party’s campaign operation has begun promoting him for the general election.
El-Sayed has adopted a more conciliatory tone since the primary, praising Stevens and former candidate Mallory McMorrow as “incredible public servants”. He has also spoken to Mr Schumer about working together to defeat Mr Rogers in November.
Michigan Democrats face divisions over El-Sayed
But tensions remain, particularly among Jewish Democrats and voters unsettled by El-Sayed’s criticism of Israel and his association with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, who campaigned with him during the primary.
At a Michigan Democratic Party convention in Lansing last weekend, El-Sayed apologised to the state’s Jewish Democratic Caucus for comments he made after an attack on a suburban Detroit synagogue in March. He said he had tried to provide context for the assault but accepted that it was not the time to do so.
“I made a mistake,” El-Sayed said, according to Axios. “I should have issued a statement, of course condemning it, and it just should have been the full stop.”
He has not, however, agreed to distance himself from Piker, telling reporters that making the race about a social-media commentator would distract from the issues facing Michigan voters.
Republicans are seeking to exploit the Democratic divisions. Mr Rogers has appealed directly to Stevens supporters and argued that the November contest is about more than a conventional left-versus-right battle.
El-Sayed’s campaign says it has held more than 500 public events and is building a broad coalition. The coming weeks will test whether he can retain the enthusiasm that carried him through the primary while winning over Black, Jewish, older and suburban voters who largely supported Stevens.
