{"id":2640125,"date":"2026-08-04T07:27:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T11:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/whats-at-stake-in-abdul-el-sayed-vs-haley-stevens-primary\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T07:30:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T11:30:34","slug":"whats-at-stake-in-abdul-el-sayed-vs-haley-stevens-primary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/whats-at-stake-in-abdul-el-sayed-vs-haley-stevens-primary\/","title":{"rendered":"What&#8217;s at stake in Abdul el Sayed vs. Haley Stevens primary"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhats-at-stake-in-abdul-el-sayed-vs-haley-stevens-primary%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2640125&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Michigan Democratic Senate primary features progressive abdul el Sayed against incumbent Rep. Haley Stevens, representing a key test of the socialist influence within the Democratic Party and its appeal in swing states. El Sayed&#8217;s potential victory would challenge whether far-left candidates can succeed in culturally and politically pivotal areas, especially as polls indicate a close race wiht Stevens, despite her current polling disadvantages.The outcome will also assess the Democratic Party&#8217;s internal dynamics,including the influence of socialist-leaning activists and establishment figures,and the ability of candidates to mobilize working-class and Black voters in Michigan. A Stevens victory could reinforce traditional Democratic strategies, while an el Sayed win might signal a shift toward more progressive candidates in future elections. the race carries broader implications for the upcoming midterms, Democratic unity, and the party\u2019s approach to issues like Israel, inflation, and immigration amidst a national mood of anti-establishment sentiment. The results are seen as an vital indicator of the political landscape heading into the 2024 elections, with both parties closely watching Michigan\u2019s vote to determine the direction of their campaigns.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tuesday\u2019s Michigan Democratic Senate primary pitting progressive <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/abdul-el-sayed\/\">Abdul el Sayed<\/a> against Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4654999\/haley-stevens-michigan-senate-race-black-voters-abdul-el-sayed\/\">Haley Stevens<\/a> (D-MI) is one of the most important races in the country as a referendum on the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4641805\/radical-socialist-democrats-pretend-blue-collar-allies\/\">socialist takeover<\/a> of the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If el Sayed wins, it will test whether a left-wing candidate can win in a battleground state. Most polls have el Sayed virtually tied with Republican <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-rogers\/\">Mike Rogers<\/a>, who barely lost to the less radical Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/elissa-slotkin\/\">Elissa Slotkin<\/a> (D-MI) in 2024 while President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> was atop the GOP ticket and winning statewide.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4673563\/whats-at-stake-michigan-senate-primary\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>What\u2019s at stake in the Michigan Democratic Senate primary<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4673621\/midterm-countdown-august-2026\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Midterm Countdown: Republicans get a glimmer of hope<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4673210\/dsa-founding-member-soviet-linked-communist-party\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DSA founding member recalls working for Soviet-linked communist party<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An el Sayed victory would also continue the momentum of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/daily-memo\/4661780\/year-of-the-dsa-democratic-politics\/\">socialist and socialist-adjacent candidates<\/a> in Democratic primaries, though he is not himself a member of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4657193\/dsa-dumbed-down-definition-working-class-designed-to-deceive\/\">Democratic Socialists of America<\/a>. DSA activists are nevertheless <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4670409\/michigan-senate-poll-democratic-establishment\/\">thick on the ground<\/a> in Michigan, seeking to boost el Sayed and other more overtly aligned candidates in downballot races.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe\u2019s fighting for the same things that a lot of our candidates are also going to be fighting for, and so that\u2019s why we\u2019re out knocking doors,\u201d Detroit DSA co-Chairwoman Lila Brickner <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/playbook\/2026\/07\/30\/a-left-turn-in-michigan-01016801\">told<\/a> <em>Politico<\/em>, referring to el Sayed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The primary results will also test whether el Sayed can win over black and working-class Michiganders, with serious implications for November.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just last month, Stevens looked like she may have had a real shot at beating el Sayed, which began a stampede of Democratic elected officials toward her campaign, including Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gretchen-whitmer\/\">Gretchen Whitmer<\/a> (D-MI). Stevens was flush with cash and hugged former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/barack-obama\/\">Barack Obama<\/a> tightly. Obama has not endorsed in the race, but you could be forgiven for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4641805\/radical-socialist-democrats-pretend-blue-collar-allies\/\">thinking otherwise<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Stevens upset would raise questions about the quality of the Michigan polls that have given el Sayed an aura of inevitability in the homestretch. She\u2019s down by 10.2 points in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/elections\/senate\/2026\/michigan\"><em>RealClearPolitics <\/em>polling average <\/a>and hasn\u2019t led in a public poll since early last month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If instead Stevens loses, it will continue the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4644171\/israel-democrats-litmus-test-democratic-primaries\/\">marginalization of pro-Israel voices<\/a> in the Democratic Party and embolden progressives who would like to see the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/aipac\/\">American Israel Public Affairs Committee<\/a> become irrelevant in the primary process.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Stevens defeat would also raise questions about the relevance of the elected Democrats who continued to campaign for her even as her poll numbers began to look grim, including Whitmer, who defeated el Sayed in the 2018 gubernatorial primary. It would be the latest example of progressives ignoring the Democratic establishment\u2019s electability judgments after losing to Trump in two of the last three presidential elections. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rank-and-file Democrats are angry at their leaders in an anti-establishment, anti-incumbent mood that has been compared to the tea party on the Right more than 15 years ago.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">El Sayed would be a risky general election candidate, though there are questions about whether Stevens would be able to turn out progressives in November \u2014\u00a0a problem that helped cost former Vice President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\">Kamala Harris<\/a> Michigan in 2024 \u2014\u00a0after such a contentious primary. He actually trails Rogers by 0.3 points in the <em>RealClearPolitics<\/em> average and could jeopardize Democratic control of the Senate by putting one of the party\u2019s seats in play.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats are competitive in Senate races in a slew of other Trump-won states because they have nominated candidates who either are or are pretending to be relatively centrist in spite of the socialist wave.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But this is also a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\">midterm election<\/a> in which the party holding the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house\/\">White House<\/a> usually loses seats. El Sayed has tried to position himself as more \u201cAmerica First\u201d than Trump, whose job approval ratings are low, emphasizing the economy and opposing the unpopular war in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\">Iran<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you had to pick a year to be a Democratic nominee in a swing state, this would be the one.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Socialists have had some success running on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/affordability\/\">affordability<\/a> before, as evidenced by New York City Mayor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/zohran-mamdani\/\">Zohran Mamdani<\/a>, who has begun experimenting with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chicago-mulls-government-owned-grocery-store-as-retailers-bolt-city\/\" title=\"Chicago considers government-owned grocery store as retailers leave city.\">government-run grocery stores<\/a> to keep prices down.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, massive government spending fueled record <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/inflation\/\">inflation<\/a> under former President<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\"> Joe Biden<\/a>. That and his concessions to the border erasure recommended in the DSA platform, triggering a vast influx of illegal immigration, led directly to Trump\u2019s return to the White House after a four-year hiatus.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4667064\/el-sayed-stays-ahead-stevens-final-week-primary-undecided-voters-outsize-lead\/\"><strong>EL SAYED STAYS AHEAD OF STEVENS IN FINAL WEEK OF MICHIGAN PRIMARY, BUT UNDECIDED VOTERS OUTSIZE HIS LEAD<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">El Sayed winning the primary would also be another warning sign for Senate Minority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chuck-schumer\/\">Chuck Schumer<\/a> (D-NY). He was not Schumer\u2019s preferred candidate, and el Sayed has made plain he would like to see Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) replace the New Yorker as the chamber\u2019s top Democrat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both parties have a lot riding on how Michigan Democrats vote on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michigan Senate primary tests left-wing candidate&#8217;s viability<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2640126,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-collage-ph8gta97h-1785797445921.jpg?1785783344&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[77374,55722,4601,5894,33184],"class_list":["post-2640125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-abdul-el-sayed","tag-haley-stevens","tag-michigan","tag-politics","tag-primary-election"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-collage-ph8gta97h-1785797445921.jpg?1785783344&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2640125"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2640129,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640125\/revisions\/2640129"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2640126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2640125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2640125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2640125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}