While presumptive Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner stays mired in scandals of his own making and freaking out establishment party members in the process, another Democratic Senate hopeful has also been causing them nightmares, albeit for different reasons.
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director and failed 2018 gubernatorial candidate, has no scandalous internet nor toxic relationship history on par with Platner’s, as far as we know, with the only social media scrubbing being thousands of X posts, which included references to his support for defunding the police.
What he does have in common with Platner, however, is something that appears to be increasingly appealing to a substantial number of Michigan Democratic primary voters: a visceral hatred for Israel.
Legal Insurrection first reported on the surge in support for El-Sayed’s campaign, which began in mid-April, as the establishment’s choice, Rep. Haley Stevens, floundered while another candidate, state senator Mallory McMorrow, was making inroads and gaining what her campaign called “McMentum” in the process.
But while McMorrow’s campaign has stalled out amid questions about her commitment to Michigan’s voters and her attempt to straddle the fence on the Israel/Hamas issue, Stevens’ campaign seems to have gotten back on track, with the congresswoman and El-Sayed now trading leads in the most recent polling.
RealClearPolitics polling averages to date show El-Sayed with the clear lead in the primary race, though. And in a potential general election matchup against the Trump-backed presumptive GOP nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers, El-Sayed slightly trails in the polling averages:
The latest averages in other potential general election matchups show Stevens with less than a one-point lead against Rogers, and Rogers with less than a one-point lead against McMorrow.
El-Sayed lagging behind Rogers in a hypothetical race while surging in primary polling as he continues to bash Israel and break bread with Hasan Piker has got establishment Democrats just about ready to hit the panic button:
His strength in primary polls has triggered backlash and anxiety among some Democrats, who view El-Sayed as a general election liability, too far left for a state that backed Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race. They cite El-Sayed’s labeling of Israel’s actions in Gaza as a “genocide” and his willingness to campaign alongside controversial figures such as Hasan Piker, the political streamer with a large audience of young men. Piker, who has faced accusations of antisemitism, has called the militant group Hamas better than Israel and questioned whether America “deserved” 9/11.[…]
Several of Michigan’s most notable Democrats recently jumped off the sidelines to endorse Stevens in an attempt to thwart El-Sayed’s surge, criticizing his record and suggesting he could not beat the presumed Republican nominee, former representative Mike Rogers, in November.
“It’s not just thinking with our hearts but with our heads,” said Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat who represented Michigan in the Senate for 24 years and has endorsed Stevens. “We have to be strategic and purposeful right now.”
Lon Johnson, a former chair of the Michigan Democratic Party and Stevens supporter, said, “There is real concern that Abdul would not be able to beat Rogers and then potentially lose us a majority possibility in the Senate.”
The United Auto Workers union, though, doesn’t share the panic. They endorsed El-Sayed earlier this week:
UAW members in Michigan want a fighter in Washington, D.C. who isn’t afraid to push forward a strong working-class agenda with moral clarity. Having never taken a dime from corporate PACs, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is someone we can trust to have our backs, including when we need it most – like come May Day 2028. From Medicare for All to banning stock buybacks, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is ready, eager, and well-equipped to move our core issues in the U.S. Senate.
The primary is August 4th, and El-Sayed looks to be in the driver’s seat. We’ll keep you posted on what develops.
– Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via X. –
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