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Sayed 2026: Two Different Paths to Narrow, Progressive Primary Wins in Michigan
The Center for Politics at UVA • • nation
Key Points:
- Abdul El-Sayed narrowly won the 2026 Democratic Senate primary in Michigan over Rep. Haley Stevens, echoing the close progressive-establishment contest between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary in the state.
- El-Sayed’s coalition differed from Sanders’s, performing better in metro Detroit areas, including strong support from Arab-American voters, while Stevens fared better in rural and conservative districts that had previously supported Sanders.
- Voter turnout and support shifted notably in Detroit, with El-Sayed dominating Latino and gentrified urban precincts, whereas Stevens underperformed compared to Clinton’s 2016 results in many municipalities with sizable Jewish populations.
- The race highlighted changing political dynamics in Michigan, with El-Sayed expanding progressive support in some suburban areas like Grand Rapids and maintaining strength in the Upper Peninsula, contrasting with Stevens’s gains in rural conservative districts.
