Michigan Democrats aren't like Democrats in Massachusetts or California. The Great Lakes State has deep working-class roots, and the Democrats they send to Washington reflect a more pragmatic, centrist approach to politics.
High-profile leaders like Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and retiring Sen. Gary Peters have found success by branding themselves as pragmatic "fix the roads" Midwestern moderates. They focus heavily on kitchen-table economic issues, infrastructure, and protecting the auto industry to appeal to independent and suburban swing voters.
The state went to Donald Trump in 2016, thus ending the idea of a Democratic "Blue Wall" in the Midwest. Michigan went Biden's way in 2020, with the Democrat carrying the state by less than three percentage points. The state went red again in 2024, with Trump winning by less than two percentage points.
Lately, radical Democrats have been challenging the primacy of the establishment pragmatists, as the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have made steady inroads in big cities, college towns like Ann Arbor, and some rural enclaves with a history of radicalism in the Upper Peninsula. For example, towns like Negaunee in Marquette County became national strongholds for the Socialist Party of America in the early 20th century, and the Industrial Workers of the World (the "wobblies") were also a political force. In 1919, the entire Michigan Socialist Party was actually expelled from the national organization for being too radical, specifically because of the left-wing, revolutionary stance of Finnish immigrants, who worked in the mines and who subsequently helped form the early communist movement in the United States.
The mines are largely gone, but the spirit of those radicals remains. It's what DSA Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is trying to tap into as he seeks the Democratic nomination for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat.
He's opposed by Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), a somewhat colorless technocrat with a solid record of achievement.
Stevens helped co-write the CHIPS and Science Act, a landmark piece of legislation, advocating strongly for bringing semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States and boosting domestic manufacturing. Her first bill signed into law was the Building Blocks of STEM Act, which dedicated National Science Foundation funding to expand research into "equitable" STEM education opportunities for girls and students of color.
Stevens was trailing El-Sayed for most of this year. This alarmed the large Jewish community in Michigan, and they are mobilizing to stop the anti-semitic, anti-Israel Muslim from going on to face Mike Rogers.
Rogers, a former U.S. representative (who represented Michigan's 8th Congressional District from 2001 to 2015), is the presumptive Republican nominee. He also previously served in the U.S. Army and as an FBI special agent, has consolidated party support, and is running without any major established primary opposition. He is heavily favored to win the Republican primary on Aug. 4.
Recently, Stevens got two huge boosts that have put her back in the race. The retiring incumbent, Gary Peters, changed his mind and decided to endorse her in the primary.
“The change of heart is we just know that we have to hold Michigan,” Peters said on Morning Joe on Tuesday. “She’s an outstanding candidate, and I certainly hope that folks get behind her around the country and understand that she’s the right person to be the next senator from the state of Michigan.”
The second boost Stevens received came from several Jewish organizations in Michigan that are contributing millions of dollars to her campaign.
American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has already dropped $15 million into Stevens' campaign. And the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) is planning a five-figure ad buy in support of the congresswoman and is setting up a virtual phone bank.
“JDCA is focused on mobilizing Jewish voters across Michigan in support of Haley Stevens,” JDCA CEO Halie Soifer told Jewish Insider on Tuesday. “Haley has always stood with the Jewish community, and we’re proud to support her in this critically important election. We also believe she has the best chance of beating Mike Rogers in November, and we’re committed to keeping Michigan blue.”
“It is now a direct, high-stakes two-way race between Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed,” the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus wrote in a recent email to members.
“With early and absentee voting already underway, to ensure Haley wins on Aug. 4, we need to leverage our deep community roots, personal relationships, and trusted voices,” Jewish Caucus Chair Decky Alexander told Jewish Insider on Tuesday.
El-Sayed routinely tars Stevens for receiving the backing of AIPAC. She has not said much during the primary about her ties to the group, instead highlighting her support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which she described as “the difference between my opponent and myself on this issue” in a debate last week. El-Sayed has said he struggles with the question of whether Israel should exist as a Jewish state.
This week, El-Sayed announced a major fundraising haul from the second quarter of the year: $4.5 million, up from $2.3 million he raised in the first quarter. A spokesperson for Stevens declined to share her latest fundraising totals, which legally must be reported by Wednesday. She took in $1.9 million in the first three months of the year.
The boost in financial support appears to be having an effect. A new Detroit News poll released on Tuesday shows Stevens up over El-Sayed by seven points, 48-41, with 10% undecided.
However, the same poll also measured only "likely voters" and found the race a virtual dead heat, with 34.1% identifying as "definite" Stevens supporters and 33.7% as "definite" El-Sayed supporters.
While Stevens may have picked up some badly needed momentum, unless the national Democrats wake up and get behind her with everything they've got, El-Sayed, a Jew-hating socialist nightmare of a candidate, will cost them a winnable seat.
Related: Will Barack Obama Step Up and Save the Democratic Party?
Editor's Note: The Democrat Party has never been less popular as voters reject its globalist agenda.
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