Establishment Senate Democrats who backed Rep. Haley Stevens, a largely AIPAC-funded moderate, in the party’s expensive primary race for Michigan Senate are now getting behind opponent Abdul El-Sayed after the progressive’s close win that pro-Palestinian groups say is a rebuke of the Israeli lobby in U.S. politics.El-Sayed “has run an energetic campaign that inspired thousands of Michiganders across the state, with a clear focus on lowering costs and standing up for working families,” a statement from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday.“Democrats are united by a common purpose: putting a check on Donald Trump by defeating his Republican enablers and taking back the Senate,” they continued. “We look forward to working with Abdul and Democrats across Michigan to win this seat in November.”Both senators have a history of backing candidates largely funded by the Israeli lobby, with Stevens having taken in the historic sum of more than $30 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in the race. She also had the backing of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who also congratulated El-Sayed on Wednesday and expressed support in fighting alongside each other in November.Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel and Michigan Democratic Senate primary winner Abdul El-Sayed speak before a press conference on Aug. 5, 2026 in Detroit. Establishment Democrats who originally threw their support behind El-Sayed’s AIPAC-funded opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, swiftly coalesced to back the progressive after a close win that sends him to the November general election.Finn Gomez via Getty ImagesAfter the statement by Schumer and Gillibrand, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin and even former Vice President Kamala Harris — whose 2020 presidential campaign was hurt partially by her refusal to speak up for Palestinians affected by Israel’s invasion in Gaza — came out in swift support for El-Sayed. “From leading the Detroit Health Department to fighting to expand access to affordable healthcare and create more opportunities for working families, he has dedicated his career to public service,” Martin said. “Michigan voters chose a candidate who will fight to lower costs, strengthen communities, stand up to working Americans and build an economy that works for everyone. Democrats are united in working together to keep this seat blue and send El-Sayed to the U.S. Senate.”The quick rallying behind El-Sayed shows the Democrat establishment could be seriously reconsidering how much weight to put behind the Israeli lobby when it comes to beating back Republicans in November. Stevens supported unconditional weapons transfers to Israel despite an AP/NORC poll finding that about half of Democratic voters believe Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, and an IMEU Policy Project/Data for Progress poll finding that 73% of Michigan Democrats believe the U.S. should restrict weapons to Israel.“That record-high sum wasn’t enough because Democratic voters have had it with the fringe and extremist view that our tax dollars should pay for Israel’s bombs, wars and genocidal ambitions,” the IMEU Policy Project said in a statement on Wednesday regarding the AIPAC money given to Stevens, who also publicly got behind El-Sayed after a campaign of smears and attack ads against the progressive. “Michigan voters made clear that no amount of outside money can replace an authentic campaign rooted in communities, conviction and people-powered organizing,” Andrea Pringle, president of March On PAC, said. “To everyone who questioned whether Abdul could win in November, the results tell a different story.”For El-Sayed’s part, the progressive used some of his victory speech Wednesday to address Jewish Michiganders and the “great gift that you’ve given me” in the opportunity to “break bread with you at Seder, to worship with you at Shu, to be embraced by you.” “To all of my sisters and brothers of the Jewish faith — or any faith at all, or no faith at all — I want you to know that my commitment to your safety, my commitment to Jewish safety, is the same commitment that I have to the safety of my own daughters,” he continued. “Because if there is one question of a political philosophy that ought to animate us all is, ‘What would we build, what would we do if we treated all of our kids like they were all of our kids?’”RelatedDemocratic PartyMichigan AIPACAbdul El-Sayed