Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are heading into Michigan this weekend to campaign for Abdul El-Sayed, turning an open Senate seat into a test of how far Democratic voters want the party to move before November.
The three campaign stops come before the August 4 Democratic primary, where El-Sayed faces Rep. Haley Stevens for the nomination to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters. Stevens is backed by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and, this week, Peters himself.
The winner is expected to face former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who is moving toward the Republican nomination. Republicans hold the Senate 53-47, making Michigan a closely watched race as Democrats try to regain control of the chamber.
El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health official and epidemiologist, supports Medicare-for-all, has called for abolishing ICE and has said he will not accept PAC donations. If elected, he would become the first Muslim senator in U.S. history.
The race has also become a fight over U.S. policy toward Israel. El-Sayed has accused Israel of carrying out “genocide” in Gaza. During last week’s debate, he said: “If you want your politics dictated by AIPAC or Chuck Schumer, then I’m not your guy.”
Stevens has argued that Republicans are trying to lift El-Sayed because they believe he would be easier to beat. “What my opponent needs to answer is, why is the GOP spending thousands of dollars to prop up his campaign, saying that he will make Mike Rogers the next U.S. senator?” she said.
An AIPAC-aligned political action committee, United Democracy Project, has reported spending nearly $15 million supporting Stevens and opposing El-Sayed. Sanders answered in a social media post: “This race is not between Abdul and Haley Stevens. It is Abdul vs. AIPAC.”
A Detroit News/WDIV poll released after Mallory McMorrow left the race showed Stevens leading El-Sayed by seven points.
Joe Caiazzo, a Democratic strategist, said the race shows two competing Democratic arguments. “Both candidates offer very different visions of what the party and the country should look like,” he said.
