Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Democratic primary for Senate in blow to AIPAC

Progressive advocate overcomes more than $60m in spending to defeat pro-Israel Congresswoman Haley Stevens.

Detroit, Michigan – Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive public health advocate, has won the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate, overcoming more than $60m in campaign spending, mostly from pro-Israel groups.

The Associated Press News Agency and other major outlets called the narrow race for El-Sayed on Wednesday, more than 12 hours after the polls closed. With nearly all the votes counted, El-Sayed had a one percent lead.

The result of the vote, which took place on Tuesday, represents an enormous blow to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which led the way in the effort to defeat El-Sayed, backing his opponent, US Congresswoman Haley Stevens, with more than $30m.

El-Sayed will face former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers in November. The race is considered one of a handful of competitive Senate contests in the November midterms and could determine which party controls the chamber for the rest of President Donald Trump’s term.

If El-Sayed – who is of Egyptian descent – wins in November, he would become the first Muslim senator in US history.

Tuesday’s result in Michigan – a swing state that voted for Trump in 2024 – will have major implications for the Democrats’ policies on conflicts in the Middle East.

El-Sayed recognises Israel’s atrocities in Gaza as a genocide and argues that money spent on conflicts that benefit Israel should be invested in local communities in the US to address healthcare, housing and infrastructure problems.

Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute, a non-partisan advocacy group that does not endorse candidates, called El-Sayed’s victory a “big deal”.

She said voters “did not buy” the avalanche of ads that did not talk about policies and only launched negative attacks “about an Arab American Muslim man named Abdul”.

“I am thrilled for the rest of the country to learn that Michigan is not going to take it,” Berry told Al Jazeera.

Stevens and her allies tried to paint El-Sayed as sexist – a push that Arab American advocates say tried to play up tropes about Arab men.

The congresswoman is a staunch supporter of Israel, and AIPAC backed her heavily in 2022 to defeat Andy Levin, a progressive Jewish legislator.

The Michigan election result on Tuesday is the latest election defeat to pro-Israel Democrats as the party’s base – and US public opinion generally – turns against the Middle East ally.

Polls had suggested that El-Sayed was set for a comfortable win, but Stevens outperformed expectations across the state and had a strong showing in Detroit, Michigan’s largest city.

As the night went on, Stevens kept closing in on a lead that El-Sayed had built in from early returns. The race remained too close to call for hours after the polls closed.

“Michigan… We won,” El-Sayed wrote in a social media post on Wednesday after hours of uncertainty about the fate of the race. “I am so proud to be your Democratic nominee for US Senate. Let’s win in November.”

Stevens endorsed El-Sayed almost immediately after the race was called by AP. “I want to congratulate Abdul El-Sayed on winning the Democratic nomination for US Senate,” she said in a statement. “He is a doctor, a community health official, a Rhodes Scholar, and a dedicated Michigander. I am proud to offer my support as he takes on Mike Rogers in the general election.”

On Tuesday night, NBC News was the first major network to project El-Sayed as the winner.

As soon as that announcement was made, Mallory McMorrow – a state legislator who was in the US Senate race but dropped out weeks before the elections – endorsed El-Sayed.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Senator Gary Peters, who had backed Stevens in the primary, also voiced support for El-Sayed against Rogers on Wednesday.

El-Sayed will now look to unite the Democratic base after a bitter primary where Israel and AIPAC’s spending took centre stage.

Even before his victory was assured, El-Sayed called on his supporters to “begin to mend fences” within the Democratic Party.

“I’m going to ask all of us as we think about where we go from here, always magnanimity in victory,” he said.

“So if your instinct is to be like ‘I told you,’ no. Let’s come together to build a movement that’s even bigger, that’s even stronger, that’s even more powerful, that reaches into the very depths of this state, that reminds us the best of who we are and who we can be.”

The Democratic candidate went on to warn that the primary contest “pales in comparison to the cynicism” that Rogers and Trump will unleash in the general elections.

El-Sayed vowed to go on the attack against Roger, painting the Republican candidate as beholden to Trump and corporate interests.

“Mike – and I know you’re listening, Mike – we are coming for you,” he said.

Trump said El-Sayed’s victory was “great news” for Republicans.

“El-Sayed, a Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel, is the projected winner in his race with the Socialist,” the US president wrote in a social media post.

“As usual, the Polls were way off on this one. She was not expected to do nearly as well as she did. Now, the Dumocrats crazy policies will only get worse!”