CHICAGO — Democrats faced a revealing clash between establishment instincts and growing progressive momentum Tuesday as Michigan voters cast ballots in a closely watched primary.
The Democratic Senate primary pitting U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens against insurgent candidate Abdul El-Sayed is serving as a major test of whether voters in the battleground state are ready to move away from the party’s familiar playbook of nominating moderates for high-stakes statewide races.
With Democrats trying to capture every possible seat in their push to reclaim the U.S. Senate, the party can afford few missteps against the Republican nominee, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers.
Republicans also confronted a significant test in Michigan’s governor’s race, where President Donald Trump’s preferred candidate, U.S. Rep. John James, prevailed over Perry Johnson, a wealthy outsider who poured heavily into the contest.
Primary elections were also underway in Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and Washington, setting the stage for key November battles. The outcomes are especially consequential in Virginia, where Democrats were unable earlier this year to redraw the state’s congressional map.
Here are the main takeaways from Tuesday’s elections:
Test time for Democrats in Michigan’s Senate race
The Stevens-El-Sayed matchup has emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s defining primary fights this year, and the campaign has grown increasingly tense. The winner will quickly face the challenge of reuniting divided Democrats before taking on Rogers in the general election.
The Michigan Senate seat is open because Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is retiring, raising the stakes for a party that must hold the seat to keep its hopes of winning Senate control alive.
The campaigns have taken sharp aim at one another. Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of El-Sayed’s most prominent supporters, called Stevens “nothing more than an employee” of billionaires. El-Sayed has been a pointed critic of Israel and called the military campaign in Gaza a “genocide,” an accusation rejected by the Israeli and U.S. governments.
Stevens has criticized El-Sayed’s style, comparing him unfavorably to a celebrity who is always “running at the first mic or camera.” She has also suggested he’s not electable in the fall, saying Republicans have been propping him up because they think El-Sayed will be easier to beat.
Trump’s endorsement overpowers self-funded candidate for governor
Republican voters picked their nominee for Michigan governor on Tuesday as well, going with Trump’s endorsed candidate, Rep. John James.
The president’s backing typically carries significant weight in Republican politics, but businessman Perry Johnson had lent his campaign more than $30 million, according to Michigan campaign finance records.
Trump’s endorsement hasn’t always overcome big spending. In Georgia’s race for governor, Rick Jackson spent $100 million, largely of his own money, to defeat Trump-backed Burt Jones in a runoff.
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On the Democratic side in Michigan, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson defeated Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.
AIPAC continues to be a lightning rod
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has long been an influential force in U.S. politics, but it’s been under pressure as Democratic support for Israel erodes over the war in Gaza.
The organization has suffered a series of losses in Democratic primaries that saw a surge of progressive candidates. Victors range from Rep. Analilia Mejia, who won a special election to Congress in suburban New Jersey, to Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who captured the Democratic nomination for a U.S. House seat in Illinois.
AIPAC’s biggest investment has been in Michigan, where it and its affiliates have spent more than $30 million supporting Stevens, a stalwart backer of Israel. El-Sayed and his backers have seized on the group’s intervention as an example of the problems of big money in politics.
Although the outcome in Michigan remained uncertain, AIPAC had some success Tuesday. In Missouri, former Rep. Cori Bush fell short in her rematch against Rep. Wesley Bell, who defeated her two years ago.
Bush had blamed her previous loss on AIPAC, even vowing revenge on the organization in her concession speech. “AIPAC, I’m coming to tear your kingdom down!” she pledged.
However, she was quickly defeated as voters in the St. Louis-area district decided to stick with Bell.
Virginia is on Democrats’ minds
One of Democrats’ most bitter defeats this cycle took place in Virginia, where that state’s supreme court in May overturned a voter-approved initiative to redraw the state’s House map to make four more seats easier for the party to win.
The failed effort was part of Democrats’ attempt to match Republicans’ own redistricting campaign, which was spurred by Trump last year in hopes of making it easier for his party to hold control of the House.
Democrats are optimistic they can recover at least a couple of those Virginia seats the old-fashioned way. On Tuesday, they got what they wanted in the state’s two swing seats, with former Rep. Elaine Luria winning the nomination to compete for the 1st District in Virginia Beach and prosecutor Shannon Taylor getting the nod to run in the Richmond-area 2nd District.
The longer shot comes in the heavily rural 5th District in central Virginia, where Tom Perriello, who briefly represented the region in President Barack Obama’s first term, won the Democratic nomination to try to win a now even more conservative-leaning seat.
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