Palestinian American Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Democratic Senate primary, will be 1st Muslim to be US Senate if elected
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Palestinian American Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Democratic Senate primary, will be 1st Muslim to be US Senate if elected")
US Democratic Senate candidate from Michigan Abdul El-Sayed addresses supporters at his election night event at The Majestic Theatre in Detroit, Michigan, on August 4, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
Progressive Abdul El-Sayed holds a narrow lead over moderate Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, testing the party's ideological direction ahead of November’s election against Republican Mike Rogers.
Progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a Palestinian American, has won Michigan's Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate, defeating U.S. Representative Haley Stevens in one of the most closely watched intra-party contests of the 2026 election cycle.
The victory marks a significant win for the Democratic Party's progressive wing over an establishment-backed moderate. Stevens had received support from senior Democratic leaders and pro-Israel groups, while El-Sayed campaigned on lowering living costs, expanding healthcare coverage and reducing the influence of big money in politics.
El-Sayed will now face Republican Mike Rogers in the November general election, a race that is expected to play a crucial role in Democrats' efforts to regain control of the U.S. Senate. If elected in November, El-Sayed would become the first Muslim to serve in the U.S. Senate.
The Michigan primary had emerged as one of the clearest tests of the Democratic Party's future direction, highlighting divisions between progressives and moderates over economic priorities, campaign finance and U.S. support for Israel. The state, which is both a presidential battleground and home to one of the country's largest Arab American communities, was widely seen as a key indicator of Democratic voters' priorities ahead of the midterm elections.
The campaign also drew national attention because of unprecedented outside spending. According to the Associated Press, pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC and affiliated organisations spent around $30 million backing Stevens, while outside spending in the race exceeded $60 million, making it one of the most expensive Senate primaries in U.S. history.
El-Sayed has been an outspoken critic of U.S. policy towards Israel and has described Israel's military campaign in Gaza as genocide, while arguing that greater investment should be directed towards healthcare and other domestic priorities.
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