Tuesday night featured some of the highest-visibility primary races of the 2026 cycle, further confirming the ascendancy of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing and the decisiveness of President Donald Trump’s endorsement.Primary races in Michigan, Missouri, and Kansas all had surprises in store, with Michigan, a key swing state, being the most nationally visible.

1. Progressives ascendant in Michigan

One of, if not the biggest proxy fight within the Democratic Party between the centrist establishment and progressive Left looks to be on the verge of being decided in favor of the latter, with Abdul el Sayed narrowly leading Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) by roughly 15,000 votes with over 96% of votes counted. Some trackers, such as NBC News, have already declared the race for el Sayed, though the Associated Press has yet to call it as of Wednesday morning.El Sayed’s likely victory comes despite a massive financial mismatch, with super PACs backing Stevens with around $65 million in total spending, much of it coming from AIPAC-aligned groups.Progressive darlings supported el Sayed, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), along with a hodgepodge of left-wing figures such as Adam Hamawy, the Democratic candidate for New Jersey‘s 12th Congressional District; Melat Kiros, who is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America and defeated a 30-year Democratic incumbent in her own Colorado race; and controversial socialist streamer Hasan Piker.Though el Sayed is not a member of or endorsed by the DSA, the group has mobilized its infrastructure to back him. He shares many of its policies and ideals, and the group is open about its preference.Stevens was backed by establishment figures, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), and retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who wanted her as his successor.The Michigan Democratic Senate primary was confirmed as a two-person showdown between concrete ideological factions last month when Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow dropped out without endorsing anyone. McMorrow pledged to endorse whoever won, and endorsed el Sayed shortly after NBC News called the race for him. El Sayed has held off on declaring victory.In the same state, progressives won a big victory after activist William Lawrence won out in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District. He won over two centrist candidates with impressive credentials: Bridget Brink was the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, and Matt Maasdam was a former Navy SEAL and military aide to former President Barack Obama.Lawrence’s victory and Sayed’s likely victory put the Democratic Party’s left wing back on the front foot after an embarrassing loss in Arizona checked its forward march. Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ) crushed his DSA-backed opponent, Kai Newkirk, last month, taking two-thirds of the vote in the primary.2. One key check for progressive momentum in Missouri