Michigan Democrats face high-stakes Senate primary amid record pro-Israel spending
Michigan Democrats are choosing their Senate nominee in a primary marked by over $60 million in outside spending, mostly from AIPAC, as progressive Abdul El Sayed challenges establishment candidate Haley Stevens.
Voters in Michigan are heading to the polls Tuesday for a Democratic primary that has drawn unprecedented outside spending and exposed deep divisions within the party. Over $60 million in external contributions—much of it from the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC—has flowed into the race to boost four-term Congresswoman Haley Stevens against Abdul El Sayed, a progressive health official backed by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
El Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, has campaigned as a working-class champion willing to challenge corporations and party leadership. He has described Israel's military operation in Gaza, which he says has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, as genocide and called for an end to US military aid to Israel. Stevens, from the Detroit suburbs, emphasizes her experience and electability and has received endorsements from top Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
According to the Associated Press, AIPAC has spent roughly $30 million to support Stevens—the largest investment the group has made in a single congressional primary. The winner will face former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers in November for the seat of retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters. The race is critical for Democrats, who must hold Michigan and gain four additional seats to take control of the Senate.
On the final day of campaigning, the two candidates took different routes. El Sayed stayed in Detroit, relying on a volunteer network his campaign says has grown to 12,000 people statewide. Stevens visited a soul food restaurant in Muskegon Heights, where she addressed just over 20 attendees and positioned herself as the only candidate who can defeat Rogers in the general election.
