When Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow dropped out of the race for the Democratic Senate nomination earlier this month, it was viewed by some political observers as a move to help Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11) against former Wayne County health department director Abdul El-Sayed, a DSA-backed candidate who experienced a surge in polling throughout the spring months of 2026.
El-Sayed, an anti-America and anti-Israel candidate who has said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) should replace Chuck Schumer as the party’s next Senate leader, is one of many Democrats running in primary races who have worried the Democratic establishment due to their alignment with the DSA. While he’s enjoyed the backing of Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Stevens can count Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Rep. James Clyburn (SC-06) among her endorsements.
Whitmer endorsed Stevens on Friday, pointing to her congressional record and work with the Obama administration as a reason why Michigan Democrats should support her over El-Sayed:
“As governor, I’ve had one strategy: get things done. And that strategy informs everything that I do, and that’s why I’m endorsing Haley Stevens for the U.S. Senate,” Whitmer said in a video Stevens shared on X. “Just like me, Haley will do whatever it takes to get things done for the people of Michigan, and we need her now more than ever.”[…]Whitmer’s endorsement could be a windfall for Stevens. The governor, who is prevented by term limits from seeking a third term this year, remains popular with Michigan voters. A May poll by the Detroit Regional Chamber measured her job approval rating at 52%.
As Legal Insurrection reported, after McMorrow dropped out of the race, Stevens was the beneficiary, leaping ahead of El-Sayed by seven points. Something notable about that poll was how Stevens was besting El-Sayed among black, older, and working-class Democratic voters, whereas El-Sayed’s strengths were with the white, college-educated, younger Democratic voters and those who say they are Democratic Socialists.
As we also noted, this is a trend we’ve seen in other Democratic primary races where elitist white leftists have been crucial for DSA-backed candidate victories, something Professor Jacobson has described as a key factor in the Great Realignment.
It’s also something prominent black Democratic members of Congress have noticed, including Clyburn:
Yet El-Sayed has a lot of work to do over the next 13 days to cut into Stevens’ lead among Black voters. Case in point: his Detroit rally on Saturday had very few Black attendees, something that Stevens’ allies have since highlighted.It also underscores a broader demographic challenge and criticism facing the progressive movement over the last several cycles — that it’s an overwhelmingly white faction that doesn’t represent Black or minority voters.“I saw a picture that concerned me coming out of Michigan. I saw the rally,” Rep. Jim Clyburn(D-S.C.) said in an interview. “I didn’t see a single person that looks like me. That tells me all I need to know.”
Relatedly, the DNC Rules and Bylaws panel has voted to recommend that South Carolina be the first state for a Democratic presidential primary in 2028:
South Carolina was chosen to hold the first Democratic presidential primary in 2028 after a panel voted on the calendar Friday afternoon. The move was pushed by key Democrats to prioritize Black voters, a reliable and influential voting bloc for the party.The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws panel recommended South Carolina vote first over Nevada, New Hampshire and Iowa, who had each been seeking the first spot. Only six states will be permitted to hold primaries before Super Tuesday on March 7, 2028.[…]This calendar will be presented to the full DNC in August, to be voted on and finalized.
Speculation swirled after the move that the DNC was doing this to try and stymie an “insurgent” socialist bid from the likes of AOC in 2028, since early primary wins give off the impression of momentum for one candidate or another:
Some commentators believe the decision presents a more difficult path for candidates aligned with the Democratic Party’s progressive or democratic socialist wing.
Conservative commentator Meghan McCain wrote on X that the move was “bad, bad news for the socialists and AOC’s future presidential campaign.”
Political scientist Craig Agranoff of Florida Atlantic University told Newsweek that South Carolina “rewards candidates who can connect with a large and influential Black electorate that tends to prioritize electability and practical results over pure ideology.”
“That dynamic has historically been tough terrain for the most progressive voices in the party,” Agranoff said. “McCain is right that it raises the bar for someone like AOC if she runs.”
– Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via X. –
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