The Fighting for Michigan PAC, a newly formed progressive super PAC, told Axios it plans to spend “millions” to boost Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary. While the group declined to disclose the total amount it expects to spend, it said the effort will include direct mail, digital advertising, and voter-organizing operations.
Progressive strategist Connor Farrell and operative Hannah Fertig, who are helping lead the Fighting for Michigan PAC, said the group expects significant opposition spending in the race.
“We know big-money groups representing the Israel lobby, corporate interests and AI billionaires are going to spend heavily against Abdul in the coming days,” they said.
Determined not to be outspent, the new PAC is preparing to invest heavily in support of the far-left El-Sayed. As the increasingly contentious struggle between the Democratic Party’s progressive wing and its establishment faction plays out in Michigan, the group’s goal is clear: they want El-Sayed to win the Democratic Senate nomination.
The Bernie Sanders-backed El-Sayed is running for the open seat currently held by Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who is retiring. His chief rival in the primary is Rep. Haley Stevens, whom he currently leads by 3.7% in the RealClearPolitics polling average. Stevens, a more moderate Democrat, has secured the backing of both the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the United Democracy Project, the primary super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
A third candidate, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, remains in the race but currently trails both El-Sayed and Stevens in the polls.
In an article titled “Michigan drenched in super PAC spending for Abdul El-Sayed,” Axios’ Holly Otterbein made the case that the battle for the Senate nomination “has become a proxy war over the future direction of the Democratic Party.” She framed the primary as a critical test for the progressive movement and noted that “after scandal-plagued Graham Platner’s likely primary win Tuesday in Maine, El-Sayed is the next anti-establishment progressive who has a serious chance of winning a Senate nomination.”
The Michigan primary will be held on August 4.
On Tuesday, the Fighting for Michigan PAC released an internal poll showing El-Sayed leading Republican nominee Mike Rogers by five points in a hypothetical general election matchup, 51% to 46%.
That finding contrasts with the RealClearPolitics polling average, which currently gives Rogers a narrow 1.7-point edge. However, the most recent survey included in the average was conducted from May 20 to May 23 and therefore does not capture El-Sayed’s recent momentum in the Democratic primary. Underscoring the uncertainty surrounding the race, RealClearPolitics currently rates the contest as a toss-up.
There was a time when El-Sayed trailed both Stevens and McMorrow in the polls. But, in late March, he made national headlines when leaked audio of his reaction to the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei surfaced. In the clip below, he tells supporters, “I also want to remind you guys that there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad today. So like, I just don’t want to comment on Khamenei at all.”
Whether it was the national attention generated by the controversy or genuine enthusiasm for his message, he began gaining ground in the polls almost immediately after the story broke.
About two weeks ago, he made another controversial statement at a campaign event. He said he “struggle[s] with the question of whether Israel should exist as a Jewish state.”
There was a time, not so long ago, when a statement this vile would have been enough to end a political candidacy. Today, however, as antisemitic rhetoric has become increasingly normalized among wide swaths of the Democratic Party — particularly in states like Michigan and Minnesota that are home to the nation’s largest Muslim populations — such remarks no longer provoke the universal condemnation they once would have.
It’s starting to seem like the more incendiary El-Sayed’s rhetoric becomes, the more he rises in the polls. Whatever the reason, it can’t be denied that the candidate who once trailed his primary opponents, has gained momentum in the race over the last few months. It’s hard to say whether that is despite his antisemitic remarks or because of them.
For progressives, El-Sayed represents an opportunity to prove that their wing of the party can defeat the Democratic establishment in a high-profile Senate race. For establishment Democrats, his ascent is a warning sign that the party’s activist base may be moving in a direction they can no longer control. On August 4, Michigan voters will decide which side wins that fight.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY