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Michigan Senate primary fight
In Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens are battling for an open seat with the contest framed as a proxy for Democrats’ internal fight over “Establishment versus insurgent” and the influence of corporate money in politics.
“Nowhere is that debate more fraught now than Michigan”
El-Sayed, an epidemiologist, is pitching “Medicare for All” and has attacked AIPAC spending in Stevens’ favor, while Stevens, a four-term congresswoman, says she will fight President Trump and emphasizes her record as a “workhorse.”
At a campaign event in Detroit, Stevens said, “Unlike my opponent, I have not been running a divisive race and blaming it on an organization or a group of people,” as she responded to tensions over El-Sayed and Jewish Americans.
El-Sayed, speaking at a Saturday rally, called on supporters to vote early and said, “We’re taking on the power of their money with the power of our many,” as he argued Democrats need to hold the Michigan seat for national stakes.
AIPAC attacks and rebuttals
The final days of the primary have been dominated by arguments tied to AIPAC spending and a dispute over who is blaming Jewish Americans, with Stevens saying El-Sayed wants to “blame all of your problems on Jewish Americans.”
El-Sayed responded at a Saturday campaign event in Detroit, saying, “It’s sad to see a campaign flailing at the very end after having burnt $70 million in money.”
Outside spending has also become a central point of contention, with the Detroit News reporting that United Democracy Project is slated to spend $28.5 million either supporting Stevens or attacking El-Sayed.
In Ferndale, Mother Jones quoted El-Sayed arguing that “AIPAC will spend huge amounts of money if you’re uppity like me and you speak out of turn to beat you,” as the race is described as the most expensive Democratic Senate primary in history.
What’s at stake next
The outcome is set to determine who faces Republican Mike Rogers in the general election, with NPR saying Democrats need to net a total of four seats to win back the Senate and that holding Michigan matters for the party’s path to the majority.
“To win back the Senate, the party needs to net a total of four seats.”
Al Jazeera reported that in Dearborn, Abdul El-Sayed’s supporters are betting on a “historic” win, with activist Suehaila Amen saying, “Abdul is the candidate that’s right for the state of Michigan and for this country,” as she argued the community wants candidates “putting America first.”
Al Jazeera also described boos at a Friday night rally when AIPAC was mentioned, and it quoted Abbas Alawieh saying, “Bint Jbail is actively experiencing an ethnic cleansing by the Israeli military.”
Meanwhile, the Azat TV account says the primary has shattered records for outside spending, adding that the United Democracy Project (UDP), backed by AIPAC, has emerged as the largest spender contributing over $30 million to support Stevens, with the result portrayed as a national test case for the party’s future direction.
