With Abdul el Sayed win, Michigan Democrats fall to the Mamdani Left

Published August 5, 2026 11:47am ET | Updated August 5, 2026 11:47am ET



As the dust settles on the Michigan Senate primaries, Republican candidate Mike Rogers must be popping open a bottle of champagne right now in celebration of the results. Not due to his own primary — he ran uncontested — but the Democratic primary, where radical leftist Abdul el Sayed has defeated moderate Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI).

There are two key takeaways from el Sayed’s victory that cannot go unmentioned: First, Michigan’s Democratic Party has fallen to the “Mamdani Left.” While el Sayed says he is not “technically or practically” a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, his platform aligns with the far-left organization’s goals, and his public allies are self-professing “democratic socialists.” Second, Michigan is a swing state — which does not bode well for a radical candidate on either side of the political aisle. 

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