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GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — A new independent poll shows progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed leading by double digits in Michigan’s heated Democratic Senate primary, as Democrats stare down the possibility that the party won’t unify behind him in the general.
“I will not stand beside someone who has allowed distinctly anti-American sentiment to enter our public dialogue,” Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., said in an interview at a local hot dog restaurant yesterday afternoon. Scholten, who represents a purplish district and is backing Rep. Haley Stevens over El-Sayed, was referencing his decision to campaign with far-left streamer Hasan Piker.
“I think that he has not done enough to hold his supporters in check for some of the rampant sexist things that have come out against Haley Stevens — and even his own words,” she said. But when it comes to his anti-corruption message, she added, “we’re with you on all those issues.”
Her comments set off a wave of fury on the left, who pointed to promises by El-Sayed and other progressives to support Stevens if she wins.
“We’re looking forward to continuing to build this movement to defeat Trump and Mike Rogers in the fall,” said El-Sayed spokesperson Roxie Richner. “Should she want to save America from them, the Congresswoman, like everyone, is welcome here.”
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Scholten’s position sums up the tricky spot many Democrats find themselves in as progressive candidates surge in the party’s primaries. If Democrats want to have any hope of taking back the Senate, they have to hold onto the seat now held by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. Many establishment Democrats fear that El-Sayed, who is popular with liberals but has never run in a general election, won’t fare as well statewide as Stevens.
Michigan Democrats are still scarred by the legacy of the “uncommitted” movement in the 2024 presidential election, when a sizable bloc of Democrats — including El-Sayed — protested Joe Biden in the primary over his Gaza policy.
El-Sayed stressed he would support Democrats in the general election over Trump. But Democrats believe that Kamala Harris’ eventual loss in Michigan stemmed in part from their lingering splits over Gaza, leading disaffected voters to stay home despite the urging of many progressives who had previously backed the protest.
For her part, Scholten still thinks Stevens will prevail in Tuesday’s primary, mooting the concerns about El-Sayed’s candidacy.
“People are way too online. Get offline. Go touch some grass. Enjoy the sunshine,” she said. “It’s a toxic, toxic place, and I think there’s an extent to which Abdul is certainly winning in the online contest, but Haley is strongly winning with actual voters.”