El-Sayed described the war in Gaza as a “genocide” and called for ending U.S. military aid to Israel.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Progressive Democrat Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate early Wednesday, defeating moderate U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in a closely contested race.
El-Sayed will run in the general election against former Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican, in a contest that could help determine control of the Senate.
The Associated Press projected El-Sayed’s victory after he edged Stevens by less than a percentage point Wednesday morning, a significantly narrower margin than pre-election polls had suggested.
El-Sayed’s primary win marks a significant victory for the Democratic Party’s progressive wing in the battleground state of Michigan.
His campaign prevailed over Stevens, who had been viewed as the more moderate candidate in the race.
The Michigan Senate race is expected to be closely watched in the months ahead, with El-Sayed and Rogers competing for a seat that could play a pivotal role in determining which party controls the U.S. Senate after the November election.
Following the result, former Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris urged Democrats to unite behind El-Sayed, sending a fundraising email asking supporters to contribute to his campaign. Harris said donations would be divided between El-Sayed’s campaign and her political action committee.
The primary outcome also drew reactions from national political figures as both parties framed the result in broader ideological terms.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticized comments by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who said Democrats were showing “disdain for America” and embracing “the failed, dangerous, deadly path of communism” in response to El-Sayed’s victory.
Mamdani rejected that characterization, saying Johnson’s remarks demonstrated “how deeply out of touch the Republican Party is with the concerns of working-class Americans.”
El-Sayed has been a vocal critic of Israel’s government and military operations.
He has described the war in Gaza as a “genocide,” called for ending U.S. military aid to Israel, and has frequently reframed questions about Israel’s “right to exist” by arguing that the focus should instead be on ending U.S. financial support.
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