MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Democrats hoping to avoid a bruising primary in a must-win U.S. Senate race instead found themselves with a fiery and at times combative debate Thursday, as progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed repeatedly went on offense against his rivals.The clash underscored a broader fight inside the Democratic Party as it tries to recover from its 2024 losses and chart a path forward in a premier battleground state. Voters in Michigan’s Aug. 4 primary will choose among three candidates offering different visions for the party’s future.“Democrats across our country and across Michigan are crying out for a new Democratic Party. We need a reckoning,” state Sen. Mallory McMorrow said from the stage Thursday.The seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is one the party must hold if it hopes to reclaim the Senate majority in this fall’s midterm elections. Seeking the nomination are Rep. Haley Stevens, McMorrow and El-Sayed, a former public health official.Here’s what else took place at the first statewide televised debate and where things stand in the race:
Campaign funding at issueThe debate at Michigan’s annual bipartisan policy conference laid bare the increasingly sharp contrasts emerging in one of the nation’s last major Democratic primaries.El-Sayed repeatedly attacked the other candidates over campaign donations, arguing he was the only candidate in the race not accepting corporate money.“I’ll tell you this, the revolution is definitely not coming if we’re not fighting for it,” El-Sayed said before targeting both his rivals and a sponsor of the conference. “So let’s play a game. If you’re on this stage and you’ve never taken a check from Blue Cross Blue Shield, raise your hand.”
