{"id":28999,"date":"2026-08-05T21:22:27","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T16:22:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=28999"},"modified":"2026-08-05T21:22:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T16:22:27","slug":"abdul-el-sayed-wins-michigan-senate-race-what-awaits-in-the-general-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=28999","title":{"rendered":"Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate race. What awaits in the general election?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"zephr-anchor\">\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Abdul El-Sayed has defeated Haley Stevens in Michigan\u2019s Democratic Senate primary \u2014 albeit by a significantly smaller margin than preelection polling suggested. He\u2019s beaten back <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/politics\/497612\/aipac-michigan-senate-el-sayed-stevens\">$30 million in AIPAC spending<\/a> and endorsements from top Democrats, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who backed Stevens. Now he\u2019s moving on to face the GOP nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers, in a contest crucial to determining Senate control.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">So the next question is: Can El-Sayed beat a Republican?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">That will be a cinch, some in his camp claim. \u201cFor progressives, getting out of the primary is a far more difficult battle than winning in the general,\u201d left-wing streamer Hasan Piker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/politics\/articles\/hasan-piker-straight-tells-cnn-205338346.html\">told CNN last week<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">But the reality is that we\u2019ve had very few true tests of how candidates associated with the left flank of the party \u2014 and specifically with the Bernie Sanders-backed revolt against the establishment \u2014 would fare in competitive swing-state general elections.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Which means that this would be one of the first such tests, and that its outcome will have enormous stakes for the party\u2019s future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">El-Sayed\u2019s views on Israel and his prospective history-making turn as the first-ever Muslim senator have gotten much coverage. But El-Sayed is also a dyed-in-the-wool member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/01\/04\/politics\/bernie-sanders-team-michigan-abdul-el-sayed\/index.html\">Sanders faction<\/a>, having been closely aligned with Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2018\/08\/04\/michigan-governor-el-sayed-ocasio-cortez-sanders-democrats-762409\">since his first political campaign <\/a>in 2018. Both have campaigned for him this cycle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">If El-Sayed defeats Rogers convincingly (he\u2019s personally predicting a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/aaronlarnavarro\/status\/2084454512669163699\">7-point victory<\/a> as his baseline), he\u2019ll become a megastar and even possibly a presidential contender. He\u2019ll arguably be the first to prove that the Sanders formula \u2014 attacking billionaires, corporate influence, and the party establishment, while backing sweeping social welfare spending like Medicare-for-all \u2014 can win over voters who once backed President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">\u201cIf Abdul El-Sayed beats Stevens I actually think he\u2019s very likely to be the next president,\u201d Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief of the socialist publication Current Affairs, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NathanJRobinson\/status\/2075994804245205260\">posted on X last month<\/a>. \u201cIf he wins the general, it\u2019s over for centrist Dems.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Conversely, if El-Sayed \u2014 who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/polls\/michigan-us-senate-election-polls-2026.html\">has trailed Rogers<\/a> in recent polls \u2014 loses, skeptics may conclude that the left can\u2019t appeal to the country\u2019s true swing voters, and that nominating a leftist for president in 2028, or in downballot races, is too big of a risk.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p><h2 class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\">The core disagreement: Will the left\u2019s approach succeed in the general election?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--block-placement _13j8zv41 _13j8zv40 duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<div style=\"position:relative\">\n<div class=\"_10sa9omj\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div style=\"background-image:none\" class=\"duet--media--content-warning _1wmfnm10\">\n<div class=\"duet--article--image-gallery-image _1hhpe710\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.503006\" id=\"dngyOmltYWdlOjQ5ODAwNg==\"><a class=\"_1hhpe711\" href=\"https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-519295348.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0,100,100\" data-pswp-height=\"1996\" data-pswp-width=\"3000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><img alt=\" Bernie Sanders raising a fist during a rallly\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"_1ssnpw50\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\" sizes=\"(max-width: 639px) 100vw, (max-width: 1023px) 50vw, 700px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-519295348.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=256 256w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-519295348.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=376 376w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-519295348.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=384 384w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-519295348.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=415 415w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-519295348.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=480 480w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-519295348.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=540 540w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-519295348.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-519295348.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=750 750w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-519295348.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=828 828w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-519295348.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=1080 1080w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-519295348.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-519295348.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=1440 1440w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-519295348.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=1920 1920w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-519295348.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-519295348.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=2400 2400w\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-519295348.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=2400\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup pn04iq2 _1dh7zmha\">There have been very few clean tests about how Bernie Sanders-backed candidates would do in swing states.<\/figcaption><cite class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup pn04iq2 _1dh7zmh5\">Theo Stroomer\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Over the past decade, it has become an article of faith across much of the left that their particular populist approach to economics and foreign policy would be potent in a general election.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">They argue that typical Democrats have a more compromised platform and timid style, lacking the populist fire that can win over disaffected Americans. \u201cBernie would\u2019ve won\u201d in 2016, the saying goes, by using his outsider credibility and ambitious plans to appeal to the working-class voters and independents that went for Trump. Kamala Harris\u2019s defeat, amid intense criticism on the left over her and Joe Biden\u2019s support for Israel, further bolstered their sense that the party establishment just can\u2019t get it done.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Now, left factionalists are pointing to their several high-profile primary victories this year and arguing that energy and enthusiasm are on their side \u2014 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/abdul-el-sayed-michigan-primary-money\/\">would translate<\/a> to the general election too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Many mainstream Democrats see this as naive. They believe that while talk of \u201csocialism\u201d and other far-left positions might work fine in deep blue cities and districts, it could well prove toxic in swing states that have voted for Trump. While public opinion on certain issues has moved in the left\u2019s direction, especially Israel, candidates could have a tougher time on issues like crime, where El-Sayed has offered nuanced explanations of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/07\/07\/politics\/kfile-abdul-el-sayed-michigan-senate-defund-police-fact-check\">his \u201cdefund the police\u201d rhetoric from 2020<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">\u201cWinning a Democratic primary means close to nothing when it comes to the general election, because these are functionally different voter pools,\u201d Lakshya Jain of the center-left publication The Argument <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/lxeagle17\/status\/2084618410357567686\">recently wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Some analysts <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RonBrownstein\/status\/2084823193089634310\">pointed to the primary results<\/a> as a potential harbinger of general election struggles, with El-Sayed performing poorly against Stevens in the kinds of rural areas that have swung toward Republicans in the Trump era.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p><h2 class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\">Are there past examples of Bernie-aligned candidates making it to tough general elections?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">But even though the \u201cBernie vs. the establishment\u201d battle has been raging on and off for the past decade, there have been very few clean tests about how Bernie-backed candidates would do in swing states.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Sanders never won the presidential nomination, and candidates aligned with him have generally preferred to run in strongly Democratic areas where, if they win the primary, the general election is a fait accompli. The now-expanding \u201csquad\u201d of left-wing House members that began with Reps. Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley all fit this model.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">There have, however, been a few past examples where Sanders-aligned candidates have made it to the general election in tough territory.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">One is <strong>Andrew Gillum<\/strong>, whose 2018 bid for governor of Florida <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/states\/florida\/story\/2018\/08\/01\/sanders-endorses-gillum-for-florida-governor-is-it-enough-536346\">was backed by<\/a> Sanders and other progressive groups, including billionaire Tom Steyer\u2019s network. He won the nomination over establishment favorite Gwen Graham \u2014 but then went on to lose the general election to Ron DeSantis by a mere four-tenths of a percentage point, ushering in what became the era of Deep Red Florida.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">In nominating Gillum, did the left blow a winnable race amid a national Democratic wave? Maybe \u2014 but one counterargument is that longtime Sen. Bill Nelson, a thoroughly mainstream Democrat, lost his seat by a similarly tight margin in that same election. Florida may have just been trending redder generally. Gillum\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/ex-florida-gubernatorial-candidate-andrew-gillum-arrested-rcna353487\">post-election personal struggles<\/a> also color views of his candidacy today.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">That same cycle, in Nebraska, <strong>Kara Eastman<\/strong> upset the establishment favorite to win the nomination for a swing House district. (Sanders hadn\u2019t endorsed her in the primary, but she ran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/magazine\/story\/2018\/11\/03\/kara-eastman-nebraska-democrats-2018-elections-222185\/\">on a platform<\/a> of Medicare-for-all and free college.) She lost in 2018 \u2014 and again in 2020, even though Joe Biden won her district \u2014 and has been viewed inside the party as a cautionary tale about blowing a winnable race ever since.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">The outcome was happier for <strong>Keith Ellison<\/strong>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2016\/11\/bernie-sanders-support-keith-ellison-231185\">close Sanders ally<\/a> who won his race to be Minnesota\u2019s attorney general in 2018. Yet his margin of victory \u2014 about 4 percentage points \u2014 wasn\u2019t particularly impressive in a lean blue state in a strongly Democratic year when Tim Walz won the governor\u2019s race by 11. Later, when Ellison ran for reelection in 2022, he eked out a win by less than 1 point while Walz won by 8.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--block-placement _13j8zv41 _13j8zv40 duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<div style=\"position:relative\">\n<div class=\"_10sa9omj\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div style=\"background-image:none\" class=\"duet--media--content-warning _1wmfnm10\">\n<div class=\"duet--article--image-gallery-image _1hhpe710\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.499871\" id=\"dngyOmltYWdlOjQ5ODAwOA==\"><a class=\"_1hhpe711\" href=\"https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1255921807.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0,100,100\" data-pswp-height=\"3865\" data-pswp-width=\"5797\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><img alt=\" Three men standing in a row\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"_1ssnpw50\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\" sizes=\"(max-width: 639px) 100vw, (max-width: 1023px) 50vw, 700px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1255921807.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=256 256w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1255921807.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=376 376w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1255921807.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=384 384w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1255921807.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=415 415w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1255921807.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=480 480w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1255921807.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=540 540w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1255921807.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1255921807.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=750 750w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1255921807.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=828 828w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1255921807.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=1080 1080w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1255921807.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1255921807.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=1440 1440w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1255921807.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=1920 1920w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1255921807.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1255921807.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=2400 2400w\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1255921807.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=2400\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup pn04iq2 _1dh7zmha\">Sen. John Fetterman (center) speaks at a press conference with Sanders (right) in May 2023.<\/figcaption><cite class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup pn04iq2 _1dh7zmh5\">Al Drago\/Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\"><strong>John Fetterman<\/strong> was generally understood to be a \u201cBernie faction\u201d candidate when he ran for an open US Senate seat in Pennsylvania in 2022. (Sanders stayed neutral in the primary that year, but <a href=\"https:\/\/whyy.org\/articles\/fetterman-supporters-feel-the-bern-during-philly-endorsement-rally\/\">had backed<\/a> Fetterman\u2019s earlier lieutenant governor campaign and championed him in the general election.) But he wasn\u2019t exactly running on a bold left platform \u2014 he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c-span.org\/clip\/campaign-2022\/user-clip-fetterman-wont-commit-to-medicare-for-all\/5012189\">backed off<\/a> his past Medicare-for-all support and was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.factcheck.org\/2022\/06\/nrscs-misleading-green-new-deal-attack-on-fetterman\/\">pro-fracking<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Fetterman ended up winning by 5 points even though it was a favorable cycle for Republicans \u2014 but simultaneously, the more centrist Josh Shapiro won the governor\u2019s race by 15. However, Shapiro\u2019s opponent was believed to be weaker and more extreme, and the stroke Fetterman suffered that year complicates efforts to read too much into his performance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Separate from his electoral performance, Fetterman\u2019s association with the Sanders left ended years ago as his politics moved to the right; lately, there has been talk <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/31\/us\/amid-talk-of-a-party-switch-fetterman-vows-never.html\">he might switch parties<\/a>. This has also fueled arguments from moderates that populist outsider candidates are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joshbarro.com\/p\/low-conscientiousness-losers-are\">less reliable than more conventional ones<\/a> even if they do manage to win.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p><h2 class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\">El-Sayed is running on a bold left platform in a true swing state<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--block-placement _13j8zv41 _13j8zv40 duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<div style=\"position:relative\">\n<div class=\"_10sa9omj\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div style=\"background-image:none\" class=\"duet--media--content-warning _1wmfnm10\">\n<div class=\"duet--article--image-gallery-image _1hhpe710\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.499222\" id=\"dngyOmltYWdlOjQ5ODAxMA==\"><a class=\"_1hhpe711\" href=\"https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2288601503.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0,100,100\" data-pswp-height=\"4497\" data-pswp-width=\"6742\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><img alt=\" Abdul El-Sayed\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"_1ssnpw50\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\" sizes=\"(max-width: 639px) 100vw, (max-width: 1023px) 50vw, 700px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2288601503.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=256 256w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2288601503.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=376 376w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2288601503.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=384 384w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2288601503.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=415 415w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2288601503.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=480 480w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2288601503.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=540 540w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2288601503.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2288601503.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=750 750w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2288601503.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=828 828w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2288601503.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=1080 1080w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2288601503.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2288601503.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=1440 1440w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2288601503.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=1920 1920w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2288601503.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2288601503.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=2400 2400w\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2288601503.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&amp;w=2400\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup pn04iq2 _1dh7zmha\">Abdul El-Sayed on August 1, 2026, in Detroit.<\/figcaption><cite class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup pn04iq2 _1dh7zmh5\">Finn Gomez\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Taking this grab bag of outcomes together, one can see why mainstream Democrats might be skeptical that the left has the secret sauce to win swing voters. But each race has had its own unique circumstances and complications.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Furthermore, in this cycle, the electorate could be in a different place \u2014 more disenchanted by the establishment and more willing to take a chance on further-left candidates.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Graham Platner was set to be the great hope for the Sanders faction until his Senate campaign was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/politics\/494565\/graham-platner-allegations-assault-withdrawing-dropping-out\">derailed by scandal<\/a> and he was replaced on the ballot by Troy Jackson \u2014 another Sanders-aligned candidate, albeit one with his own long history in state politics. But though Jackson is facing a formidable Republican incumbent, Maine is a blue state that hasn\u2019t backed a GOP presidential candidate since 1988.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Michigan is tougher turf, having voted for Trump in two of the past three presidential elections. The conventional wisdom for how a Democrat can win a race there is to run a cautious campaign, being careful not to alienate potentially winnable Republican and independent voters. A good example is Gary Peters, the departing two-term senator El-Sayed is running to replace, who\u2019s a traditional pro-union Democrat known for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2019\/08\/19\/michigan-senate-battle-peters-stabenow-1466877\">keeping a low profile<\/a> in general.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">El-Sayed is not doing that. He supports Medicare-for-all, a billionaire wealth tax, abolishing ICE, and a full arms embargo on Israel. While El-Sayed is not a democratic socialist, he\u2019s very closely tied to Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez \u2014 the trio held hands and raised their arms together at a recent rally, in an image Michigan voters may well see in GOP-funded attack ads.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">And back in 2020, El-Sayed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/07\/07\/politics\/kfile-abdul-el-sayed-michigan-senate-defund-police-fact-check\">expressed sympathy<\/a> with activists calling to \u201cdefund the police\u201d and <a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-government\/fact-check-abdul-el-sayeds-record-on-defund-the-police-republican-meddling\/\">said<\/a> most major cities spend far too much on police departments, though he\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2025\/11\/15\/abdul-el-sayed-distances-himself-from-past-defund-the-police-rhetoric\/87276996007\/?gnt-cfr=1&amp;gca-cat=p&amp;gca-uir=true&amp;gca-epti=z11xx58p11xx50c11xx50e1122xxv11xx58d--58--b--58--&amp;gca-ft=162&amp;gca-ds=sophi\">tried to downplay<\/a> those views this cycle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">\u201cI\u2019m worried that he\u2019s more passionate about attacking other Dems than Republicans and may not be ready for what\u2019s coming,\u201d Adam Jentleson, president of the center-left Searchlight Institute, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AJentleson\/status\/2083580634509758772\">posted on X recently<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Now that he\u2019s won the primary, El-Sayed will get the chance to try and show he\u2019s ready \u2014 and to test whether his bold left platform will be his greatest asset, or a millstone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Abdul El-Sayed has defeated Haley Stevens in Michigan\u2019s Democratic Senate primary \u2014 albeit by a significantly smaller margin than preelection polling suggested. He\u2019s beaten back $30 million in AIPAC spending and endorsements from top Democrats, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who backed Stevens. Now he\u2019s moving on to face the GOP nominee, former Rep. Mike&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2286094738-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C10.736356878928%2C100%2C78.527286242144&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28999"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28999\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}