Abdul El-Sayed has won Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate nomination, defeating Rep. Haley Stevens in a major victory for progressives in the key battleground state.
The real test of El-Sayed’s and progressives’ strength will now come in a November matchup against Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman who ran unopposed for the GOP nomination.
The seat is pivotal to Democrats’ chances of flipping the Senate and El-Sayed will face the challenge of uniting a divided Democratic base after a bruising primary.
The race remained tight throughout Tuesday night, with a winner not declared until early Wednesday. In his final remarks at a primary night party before the race was called, El-Sayed said "tomorrow we begin to mend fences."
El-Sayed’s win represents a significant shift for the Democratic Party. In 2018, he lost the gubernatorial primary to now-Gov. Gretchen Whitmer by 21 percentage points.
