While Michigan has elected Abdul El-Sayed senator, the internal Democratic Party feuds during his campaign are likely to continue into 2028, as the far left continues its attempt to become the Democratic Party’s new establishment.
El-Sayed became his party’s nominee running on a now-familiar platform of anti-Israeli sentiment, socialized medicine, and abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.) He defeated his establishment-backed primary opponent Haley Stevens despite her massive fundraising advantage.
His subsequent general election victory no doubt has the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) wing of the party confident that their movement has broad appeal. The Democratic establishment, though, is not going to relinquish control of its party heading into 2028, and the racial and religious divisions apparent during the Michigan Senate primary will no doubt continue to plague the party.
During his campaign, El-Sayed attempted to claim that Michigan residents of all races had identical concerns, sticking to the affordability talking points that Democrats hammered during the midterms. The results of the election, though, show that minority support for him predictably diverged on ethnic lines: he overwhelmingly won Arab-dominated Dearborn, while underperforming with Jewish voters.
The idea that El-Sayed and likeminded DSA candidates are leading a movement centered exclusively around economic issues is nonsense, of course. Their litmus tests include believing that Israel is engaged in a genocide, and that immigration enforcement is illegitimate. El-Sayed consistently framed transgender and culture war issues as Republican “distractions” during his campaign, which is leftist code for not wanting to defend their discredited views.
Historically, the modern Democratic Party has united its warring factions by whipping up fears of the straight white male conservative menace. The level of divisions brought to the surface during El-Sayed’s run, though, will no doubt continue to be a factor in the upcoming presidential primaries. Democrats may be willing to indulge all manners of social radicalism, but their leadership will not let their pro-Palestinian socialist wing take over the party without a fight.
