The Michigan Democratic Senate primary race ended up being closer than anyone thought it would be, with Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeating Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11) by about 16,000 votes (as of this writing) out of the over 1.5 million cast. This was despite most polling from the spring onward showing him with a clear advantage.
There was clearly a lot more interest in this race on the Democratic side than the one held in 2024, when then-Rep. Elissa Slotkin defeated her primary opponent, businessman Hill Harper, in a race where 933,000 ballots were cast.
Slotkin’s general election GOP opponent that year was former congressman Mike Rogers, whom she defeated by slim margins on an otherwise bad night for Senate Democrats, who lost control of the upper chamber.
The Trump-backed Rogers gave it another try this year, and just a few days after the primary, where he faced no opposition, he immediately went to work, capitalizing on the deep divisions within the Michigan Democratic Party with a campaign message put out to disaffected Democrats who were not happy that El-Sayed won the primary:
If you’re among the majority of Democratic voters that woke up on Wednesday feeling, well, hopeless because the person who won does not represent your values, well, just know there is still hope. Michigan deserves a senator who is ready to sit with you, hear from you and represent you.The parents across Michigan who want an education system that sets up their kids for success, you have a home with us. To grandparents across Michigan who are heartbroken from watching their kids and grandkids leave the state, you have a home with us.To young people who are looking for real solutions to solve our housing affordability crisis, you have a home with us. To working families who don’t want higher taxes and lower paychecks, you have a home with us. And to the vast majority of people across Michigan who do not want to throw their support behind a campaign filled with anger, divisiveness, calls for violence, and the views that are out of touch with your values, you have a home with us.The fight is far greater than just left versus right. The fight is for the very soul of our nation. Over the next 90 days, I’m going to work hard to earn your trust, to earn your support, and earn your vote. We have a state to save, Michigan. Let’s get to work.
It was a smart move to make, as there were warning signs weeks before the primary that centered around rumors that Jewish Democrats in the state would not only be voting for Rogers in the general election if El-Sayed won the primary, but that they would also fundraise for him:
Several Jewish Michigan Democrats admitted Tuesday they or people they know will be backing Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers in the upcoming election if Abdul El-Sayed becomes the Democratic nominee.Ahead of the Aug. 4 primary election, Jewish donors spoke with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) about the possibility of El-Sayed, who has been an outspoken critic of Israel, becoming the party’s nominee for the Michigan Senate seat.JTA reported that several prominent Jewish fundraisers have already begun to see Rogers as a “hedge” and are planning to raise funds for him against El-Sayed.
The day after the primary, reports of Jewish Democratic defections from the party intensified:
Not only that, but other Democratic public figures have since declared they will do what they can to help Rogers get elected:
Julian Epstein, who the NY Post lists as “the former chief counsel for the House Judiciary Democrats and the former staff director of the House Oversight Committee,” was another:
After decades of giving my all for Democratic House and Senate candidates, this fall I will support — and contribute to — Mike Rogers, Michigan’s GOP Senate nominee, instead.And I’ll do everything I can to make sure other Democrats follow.With the exception of Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, my party’s leaders have sought to appease the dangerous faction rising in our midst.Weak, timid figures like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are spouting empty clichés — “We are a big-tent party” — while abdicating their moral and political responsibilities.Democrats aren’t coddling Scandinavian-style socialists; they’re getting into bed with a nihilistic, deconstructionist brand of third-worldism.
The Democrats for Mike Rogers X account is also touting donations received from Democrats who never thought they’d donate to a Republican:
Gonna see a lot more of that in the weeks to come, I suspect.
– Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via X. –
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