{"id":34035,"date":"2026-08-09T06:12:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T01:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=34035"},"modified":"2026-08-09T06:12:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T01:12:44","slug":"michigan-senate-race-displays-the-radical-shift-the-democratic-party-has-taken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=34035","title":{"rendered":"Michigan Senate race displays the radical \u2018shift\u2019 the Democratic Party has taken"},"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<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F08%2FMEDLEDD.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>In the run-up to Michigan\u2019s hotly contested Democratic Senate primary last week, a slew of headlines declared the showdown a \u201cfight for the party\u2019s soul.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As cliches go, that wasn\u2019t a bad one. <\/p>\n<p>Leaving aside the issue of whether a political party has a soul, the framing worked because the candidates represented starkly different positions, backgrounds and styles.<\/p>\n<p>The outcome would thus reflect the party\u2019s emerging values and agenda in a key swing state.<\/p>\n<p>And so it did, but in a way that simultaneously makes Michigan look bad and illustrates how radicals are gaining the upper hand in the national party.<\/p>\n<p>After far-left, anti-Israel candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed squeaked out <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/05\/us-news\/michigans-abdul-el-sayed-beats-haley-stevens-in-senate-primary\/\">a narrow victory<\/a> against the more moderate Rep. Haley Stevens, new cliches were called upon to explain the outcome.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter\">\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--more inline-module--columnist inline-module--more--thirds\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<h2 class=\"inline-module__heading subsection-heading subsection-heading--single-line \">\n\t\t\tMore From\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"subsection-heading__sub\">Michael Goodwin<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Dem Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, despite being a frequent target of El-Sayed\u2019s, quickly <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/06\/us-news\/chuck-schumer-tepidly-endorses-abdul-el-sayed-the-guy-who-wants-him-replaced\/\">fell in line and congratulated him<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Schumer, the highest elected Jewish official in American history, defended his move by insisting his party is \u201ca big tent.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>He told PunchBowl News that Dems have a chance to gain a majority only when they \u201cwelcome rather than suppress opposing visions of its future,\u201d and declared himself in favor of \u201cbig tent-ism.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Because Schumer is fixated on becoming majority leader again, his self-serving appeal has its limits. <\/p>\n<p>One of El-Sayed\u2019s most notorious backers quickly replied by saying, hell, no.<\/p>\n<p>Hasan Piker, a social media star and virulent antisemite <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/07\/22\/media\/hasan-piker-under-fire-after-framing-newspaper-covering-9-11-attacks-in-stream-background\/\">who once said America deserved 9\/11<\/a>, was in no mood for kumbaya.<\/p>\n<p>He demanded that Dems who didn\u2019t support El-Sayed suffer \u201cMarxist-Leninist\u201d punishment for failing to \u201cfollow the party line.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He called them \u201chaters in our ranks\u201d who were giving ammunition to Republicans. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t be out here saying like, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m a centrist Democrat. And I think Abdul is a bridge too far.\u2019 That must be punished.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dems with a more traditional vision took aim at him.<\/p>\n<p>Among them was Neera Tanden, head of the Center for American Progress, a party think tank and hiring hall. She warned that Piker\u2019s rhetoric could alienate general election voters and give GOP candidate Mike Rogers a path to victory in November.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s hard to imagine a bigger turnoff to swing voters than this guy,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/neeratanden\/status\/2085679630904652023?s=46\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tanden wrote on X<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy free advice to the AES campaign is to get him to shut up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rogers had a similar thought, posting a video where he said, \u201cIf you\u2019re among the majority of Democratic voters that woke up on Wednesday feeling, well, hopeless, because the person who won does not represent your values, well, just know, there is still hope.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More bile<\/h2>\n<p>But Piker is not the only El-Sayed backer who could scare away general election voters.<\/p>\n<p>In a sermon last month, a Muslim cleric in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, celebrated the death of GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham and asked worshippers to pray for President Trump\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<p>He also urged them to vote for El-Sayed.<\/p>\n<p>Mohammad Baqer Qazwini made the remarks at the Islamic Institute of America, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), and published by the Jerusalem Post.<\/p>\n<p>It said the imam blamed Graham for \u201cgenocide in Gaza\u201d and for the deaths of civilians in Lebanon, and called his death \u201ca slap\u201d from Allah.<\/p>\n<p>Then he asked worshippers to pray that Allah would take \u201cthe friend of Lindsey Graham,\u201d meaning Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Separately, the Washington Free Beacon reported that Qazwini declared that Muslim men and women have a \u201cmoral responsibility\u201d and \u201cduty\u201d to support El-Sayed because he is a Muslim.<\/p>\n<p>In a late July sermon, the outlet reports, he urged his audience to \u201cdeal the Zionist a bigger blow\u201d by voting against Stevens, whom he said served Israeli interests.<\/p>\n<p>The Michigan outcome is part of a larger pattern where candidates from the progressive swamps are taking over the national party.<\/p>\n<p>Although the heart of their domestic agenda aims at creating a larger, more expensive and powerful central government in the style of European socialism, antisemitism and a demonization of Israel are also main tenets.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/07\/16\/us-news\/more-than-half-of-house-democrats-vote-to-cut-israel-aid-in-growing-split\/\">nearly half of House Dems voted to cut off all military aid to Israel<\/a> at a time when the Jewish state, the only democracy in the region, is also our major ally in the war against Iran.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Post Opinion\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGet opinions and commentary from our columnists\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter!\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Power shift<\/h2>\n<p>As the Wall Street Journal noted, only 17% of House Democrats voted for a similar bill two years ago.<\/p>\n<p>It said members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus made up the majority of votes against Israel in the recent vote.<\/p>\n<p>The emergence and growth of that caucus demonstrates the power shift within the party. <\/p>\n<p>Much of it, I believe, was ignited by the nonstop personal hatred Dems like Schumer and Nancy Pelosi expressed against Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Biden\u2019s effort to jail the then ex-president also broke the guard-rails of acceptable behavior.<\/p>\n<p>Those leaders started a fire which, fanned by their media handmaidens, is burning beyond control and consuming their party.<\/p>\n<p>New York City\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/11\/04\/us-news\/zohran-mamdani-wins-2025-nyc-mayoral-election\/\">election of<\/a> Zohran Mamdani as mayor last year stands as the clearest example of how voters, especially young ones, are turning against traditions and embracing a new generation of candidates with extreme agendas.<\/p>\n<p>It is also relevant that Mamdani is the city\u2019s first Muslim mayor, and El-Sayed would be America\u2019s first Muslim senator.<\/p>\n<p>Both have falsely charged Israel with committing genocide in Gaza, and expressed deep animus toward Israeli Prime Minister <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/08\/us-news\/cops-warn-mamdanis-anti-netanyahu-crusade-endangers-nyc\/\">Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Mamdani reluctantly dropped his effort to have Netanyahu arrested if he comes to New York, but there are signs that his attacks are leading to increased street violence against Jews.<\/p>\n<p>The rise of antisemitism in New York and across America cannot be denied.<\/p>\n<p>In that vein, Trump declared El-Sayed\u2019s victory \u201cGreat news for the Republican Party.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Truth Social, he called the winner \u201ca Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel,\u201d adding that now, \u201cthe Dumocrats crazy policies will only get worse!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even Hillary Clinton seemed to see what Trump saw and is worried about what she predicted would be the GOP line of attack against El-Sayed.<\/p>\n<p>On a podcast, she said charges that he is a communist would have an impact on many swing voters, especially independents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not just about Michigan, but the Republican messaging is communist, socialist. It\u2019s going to be a very effective attack,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Effective because it\u2019s true, and events in Gotham are proving the point.<\/p>\n<p>Consider that Tina Moore, the Post\u2019s veteran NYPD bureau chief, reports that New York\u2019s Finest are \u201cbracing for a security nightmare\u201d during Netanyahu\u2019s visit to the United Nations next month.<\/p>\n<p>She writes that cops are saying the mayor\u2019s obsession with the prime minister will \u201cembolden radical agitators, leaving frontline cops and everyday New Yorkers squarely in the crosshairs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She quotes a law enforcement source as saying the mayor is \u201cmaking what would be considered a Category 1 hurricane into a Category 5 because of his words.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/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>In the run-up to Michigan\u2019s hotly contested Democratic Senate primary last week, a slew of headlines declared the showdown a \u201cfight for the party\u2019s soul.\u201d As cliches go, that wasn\u2019t a bad one. Leaving aside the issue of whether a political party has a soul, the framing worked because the candidates represented starkly different positions,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/MEDLEDD.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34035","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=34035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}