Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Democratic Senate primary in tight race

Published Aug 10, 05:45 PM UTC

Progressive Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated establishment-backed Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, a race seen as a referendum on the party's identity. El-Sayed, endorsed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, focused his campaign on Democratic support for Israel and criticized Stevens for receiving over $30 million from AIPAC. Stevens accused El-Sayed of blaming Jewish Americans for problems. El-Sayed would become the first Muslim U.S. senator if he wins in November. In other primaries, progressive William Lawrence won a House district race, but Missouri Rep. Wesley Bell defeated progressive Cori Bush by over 20 points. El-Sayed now faces GOP nominee Mike Rogers, and polls show him trailing 46% to 43%. Analysts debate whether El-Sayed's nomination helps or hurts Democratic chances in the battleground state.