Abdul El-Sayed has defeated establishment Democrat Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), according to race calls from NBC News and Decision Desk following Tuesday’s primary in which the radical transformation of the Democratic Party is center stage.
El-Sayed, a public health official and former failed candidate for governor in 2018, delivered the most high-profile win to date for the movement increasingly calling the shots in Democrat politics. While he is not a formal member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the ascendant power center of left-wing American politics, DSA officials including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) campaigned hard for him over several months leading up to the August primary.
El-Sayed surged to double-digit leads in most polls with overwhelming grassroots support despite Stevens and establishment allies spending over $30 million on her behalf. Additionally, Stevens earned endorsements from a host of establishment Democrats including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and outgoing Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
With over 95 percent of results in, El-Sayed leads Stevens by approximately 16,000 votes. Mallory McMorrow, who dropped out of the contest and made a primary eve endorsement of El-Sayed, still captured 61,000 votes in the primary.
El-Sayed ran up the score in Kent and Washtenaw counties, leading with affluent white voters, as Stevens performed better with Michigan’s working class voters statewide.
He will now face Republican Mike Rogers in the midterm election for Michigan’s Senate seat.
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