By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-05 14:01:21 | Updated at 2026-08-05 20:23:25
6 hours ago
DETROIT, Mich. — Far-left Dr. Abdul El-Sayed on Tuesday defeated Dem Rep. Haley Stevens in a nail-biter finish in the party’s record-breaking primary for a US Senate seat, marking a huge win for progressives against the establishment.
More than $80 million was spent on the Michigan race, making it the most expensive Senate Democratic primary ever, according to AdImpact.
El-Sayed, who got his medical degree from Columbia University, had been the polling favorite against Stevens in the Michigan race, and his clinching of the Democratic nomination sets up a critical test about whether the far left can ultimately succeed in a swing state, as the doctor gears up for a showdown with Republican Mike Rogers.
The victory marks a comeback for El-Sayed, who was walloped by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary by 22 points.
It is also one of the first big breakthroughs of the far-left flank of the party outside liberal strongholds this cycle.
It occurred in a state that was the birthplace of the “uncommitted” movement against Dem former President Joe Biden in 2024 and that had backed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the 2016 Dem presidential primary.
Should he go on to win the general election, El-Sayed will become the first Muslim elected to the Senate in US history. At his watch party in metro Detroit, home to a large concentration of Arab American and Muslim voters, several backers were seen performing Islamic prayer.
Rogers said the bruising Democratic primary would hamper his challenger in November.
“Whoever comes out of it is going to have a coalition problem. Remember, voting starts in about five or six weeks. We’re in an election cycle now,” Rogers told The Post hours before El-Sayed’s primary win.
“We’ve been building toward that day. They’ve been fighting each other and moving further and further to the left.”
Tuesday’s primaries saw other victories for progressives, with “Squad” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), state Rep. Donavan McKinney, and Bernie Sanders-backed William Lawrence winning.
One major blemish on the left’s night was Rep. Wesley Bell’s (D-Mo.) commanding win over Cori Bush in Missouri’s St. Louis-based House race.
In many ways, the contest between El-Sayed and Stevens was a proxy battle between the mainstream factions of the Democratic Party and the far left, both of which contend that their side is more electable.
El-Sayed took positions such as backing “Medicare for All” without any co-pays or deductibles, abolishing ICE, making elections publicly funded, imposing an arms embargo on Israel and freezing property-tax assessments on individuals 65 and older who own homes.
Those positions won him favor with controversial figures such as streamer Hasan Piker and the Democratic Socialists of America, though technically El-Sayed considers himself a capitalist and isn’t a member of the DSA.
The race turned nasty at times, with El-Sayed suggesting that Stevens was unable to “string together two coherent sentences” and implying that she was bought out by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), whose super PAC spent nearly $30 million backing her.
Stevens went viral for her Midwestern accent and catchphrase, “Stick it to ’em.” She downplayed the national overtones of the race and insisted, “It’s a Michigan moment for me.”
Should El-Sayed win the general election, the former executive director of the Detroit Health Department could create headaches for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), given the Michigan Dem has expressed opposition to the Empire State pol leading the party.
Schumer publicly backed Stevens, as did many top Democrats, including Whitmer and retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), who stumped with her Sunday.
Their theory was that Stevens was the more electable of the pair.
A recent EPIC-MRA poll found that El-Sayed was down against Rogers, 43% to 46%, while Stevens was up 44% to 42%.
Rogers previously lost to Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) in 2024. El-Sayed has tried to reassure voters that he can still win.
“When they say I’m not electable, they’re not talking about me,” El-Sayed told supporters during a rally in Grand Rapids on Saturday.
“They’re saying that you couldn’t possibly be open-minded enough … to elect somebody with a name like mine who prays like I do in a state like ours.”
Democrats currently need to flip four seats to take control of the US Senate.
“We have a real shot to take the majority of the United States Senate,” Peters told reporters Sunday while stumping for Haley. “That’s become increasingly likely as every month goes by. But it doesn’t happen if we lose Michigan.
“This state is absolutely critical.”
