By
Jake Lahut,
a freelance reporter covering national politics and the White House
As Abdul El-Sayed made his final pitch to Michigan Democrats to send him to Washington, the 41-year-old doctor and public-health advocate warned of the dangers of “D.C. brain.” One example, he told me, is thinking “that the things that make people mad are a function of what politicians say versus what politicians do.” Another he pointed to was a seemingly innocuous talking point from his Democratic opponent, four-term representative Haley Stevens, who has touted being recognized as the “most effective” legislator. “It’s just one of those things,” he said, “where it’s just like, Please, how is that something that you are running on?”
The progressive El-Sayed is surging ahead in Tuesday’s Democratic Senate primary, with some polls giving him a double-digit lead over the Establishment pick. El-Sayed emerged in 2026 as one of the most charismatic and combative figures in the midterms, a candidate who appears to relish the big stage and mixing it up with critics on social media. A victory this week would only further cement his status as one of the party’s rising stars and continue to propel an ascendant left, which after primary wins everywhere from New York to Colorado is on the precipice of another next week in Wisconsin. It would also test whether El-Sayed, who is already projecting confidence beyond the primary, can win a statewide election, especially as early polls give Stevens the edge against Republican Mike Rogers in a potential November matchup.
