DETROIT – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is pulling out all the stops for Abdul el Sayed as Michigan’s Senate race becomes another referendum on his progressive brand of politics.Sanders, the octogenarian socialist who has played kingmaker in a series of Democratic primaries this cycle, has lent his name and full-throated endorsement to el Sayed, cutting a commercial for him earlier this month and headlining a trio of rallies – the first of which began in Detroit on Saturday night.Speaking to a packed opera house, Sanders joined Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) in framing the race as a pitched fight against the “billionaire class” and politicians he says are bought and paid for. The pair will travel to Lansing and Grand Rapids on Sunday as part of their “People vs. the Powerful” tour.
“The oligarchs are getting nervous,” Sanders told rally goers on Saturday, linking el Sayed’s campaign to progressive victories in New York last month. “They should be getting nervous.”“Despite all of the money that the oligarchs are throwing into this election, we’re going to win here in Michigan,” he added.The event comes at a critical moment in Michigan politics. El Sayed is facing a deluge of outside spending that has erased his status as front-runner and underscored establishment opposition to his candidacy. He will face Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), a more traditional Democrat, in the Aug. 4 primary.U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT., addresses the crowd during a campaign rally for Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate primary candidate Abdul El-Sayed, Saturday, July 18, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
