08/06/2026
They would tell all of us to get in line. Time for them to do the same. Abdul isn’t more likely to lose, he’s reasonably likely to win—and that horrifies the stodgy business-as-usual establishment. Their cold, clammy grip on control and the security of their relationships with those who have used them for dishonest gains for far too long as both slipping. And it’s about time.
Complaining that primary voters picked the candidate more likely to lose on Election Day has become a face-saving tactic for moderates as they’ve watched their preferred picks lose against upstart insurgent campaigns like El-Sayed’s. El-Sayed’s detractors have powerful friends. The biggest money targeting El-Sayed comes from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which has already spent over $100 million on midterm races around the country, including more than $30 million directly boosting Stevens against El-Sayed.
Now that El-Sayed is the party’s nominee, Stevens’s supporters, both in Michigan and nationally, will have to decide if they want a progressive Muslim in the Senate for six years or to risk continued GOP control. If they’re really worried about the outcome and truly committed to Democratic success in November, they’ll set aside whatever issues they have with El-Sayed and go all-in on his candidacy.
Read more: https://theintercept.com/2026/08/05/abdul-el-sayed-michigan-democratic-senate-primary/
