Centrist Democrats coalesced around Abdul El-Sayed on Wednesday after he narrowly clinched the party’s Senate nomination in Michigan—while President Donald Trump and his allies highlighted El-Sayed’s progressive bonafides to boost their narrative the party is becoming too far left.
Michigan Democratic Senate primary winner Abdul El-Sayed claps during a press conference in front of the Spirit of Detroit statue on August 05, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
Multiple Democrats who endorsed El-Sayed’s opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, backed El-Sayed in the wake of his victory, including Stevens.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who endorsed Stevens, also said they would support El-Sayed’s campaign in the general election against Republican state Rep. Mike Rogers.
In a joint statement with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who chairs the Democratic Senate campaign arm, Schumer said “Democrats are united by a common purpose: putting a check on Donald Trump by defeating his Republican enablers and taking back the Senate. We look forward to working with Abdul and Democrats across Michigan to win this seat in November.”
