politics
Abdul El-Sayed used Mamdani's social media playbook to overcome a 9:1 spending deficit. Now he's facing slander about 9/11
Abdul El-Sayed won a hard fight in Michigan’s Democratic primary race for U.S. Senate against Rep. Haley Stevens. He eked out a win by 15,000 votes, or about 1% of the almost 1.5 million votes cast during the election on Aug. 4, 2026.
TL;DR
- Abdul El-Sayed won the Michigan Democratic Senate primary by approximately 1% of the vote against Rep. Haley Stevens.
- El-Sayed's campaign was significantly outspent, with $7.3 million spent on his behalf compared to $63.9 million for Stevens.
- Stevens received substantial support from AIPAC-backed groups, while El-Sayed emphasized not taking corporate PAC funds.
- El-Sayed utilized social media, including music-video-style content, to reach younger voters cost-effectively.
- Stevens was backed by the Democratic establishment, while El-Sayed received endorsements from progressive figures like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
- Voting patterns suggested El-Sayed performed better in Arab-American areas and college towns, and among Election Day voters, while Stevens led among Black voters and early/mail-in voters.
- El-Sayed faces the challenge of uniting the Democratic Party and anticipates Islamophobic attacks and smear campaigns in the general election against Mike Rogers.