DETROIT — Michigan’s reputation as a true political battleground was on full display Tuesday night.
Voters in the state upended expectations that Dr. Abdul El-Sayed would cruise past Rep. Haley Stevens in a closely watched Democratic Senate primary, turning what many anticipated would be a clear win into a much tighter contest.
Supporters of El-Sayed had framed the race as a defining fight over “the soul of the Democratic Party” — and as a test of whether progressive, left-wing candidates could prove themselves as viable, or even more electable, than their centrist rivals.
Yet despite El-Sayed holding frequent double-digit advantages in many polls, he ended his watch party remarks with a lead of just under two percentage points, a margin that was narrowing as votes continued to be counted Tuesday night.
“I wish I could tell you that I was declaring victory right about now. Turns out it takes a long time to count votes in Michigan,” he told supporters. “Right now we are on track to outvote the historical numbers that we should expect.”
In a striking moment, El-Sayed used his speech to reject the idea that Michigan should be viewed through the usual red-versus-blue lens. “We are not a purple state; we are a state in need of a movement to take our politics back,” he said, while criticizing arguments centered on ideology and whether a candidate is too far left.
El-Sayed also emphasized the scale of spending in the Democratic primary, noting that nearly $80 million had been poured into the race and saying he had been outspent by a 12-to-1 margin.
“Right now we are on track to outvote the historical numbers that we should expect,” he repeated, leaning into his image as the underdog in one of Michigan’s most closely scrutinized Senate contests.
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El-Sayed also made an overture to Democrats who didn’t back him in the bruising primary.
“There is so much more that unites us. However much we might disagree with our Democratic opponent, there is so much more that unites us than divides us,” he said.
Republican Mike Rogers told The Post that he expected the winner of the Democratic primary to have coalition struggles, something he blamed on his 2024 Senate loss.
Stevens addressed her watch party in a triumphant mood.
“I know it’s been an exciting night. I know it’s been a long night because that’s the Michigan way,” she told her followers. “We knew that this was going to be a close race, and that’s exactly what we’ve got.
“But friends, I am feeling good about this race.”
Tuesday night was full of mixed results in the battle between the far-left and mainstream elements of the Democratic Party.
In Missouri, Cori Bush got walloped in her comeback bid against incumbent Rep. Wesley Bell (D-Mo.), wrecking narratives about pro-Israel Democrats being electoral toast.
Elsewhere in Michigan, “Squad” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) easily clinched the nod, but in Michigan’s 1st Congressional District, Callie Barr defeated Democratic socialist candidate Kyle Blomquist.
But in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, Bernie Sanders-backed William Lawrence won in what is one of the most competitive districts in the country.
Then there was Michigan’s 14th District, where Democratic Socialists of America-backed Donavan McKinney was in a too-close-to-call race against incumbent Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.)
