Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate primary shaped by party divisions, gender and faith

Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official backed by Bernie Sanders, won Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, defeating Rep. Haley Stevens in a race that became a proxy battle over party direction and Gaza policy. The 19th reports El-Sayed built his campaign on opposition to Israel's war in Gaza and the pro-Israel lobby's political spending, while Stevens leaned on endorsements from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, retiring Sen. Gary Peters, and other state establishment figures—a divide that shaped a hotly contested primary in the battleground state. He'll now face Republican Mike Rogers in November for the seat Peters is vacating, a race Cook Political Report rates a tossup and one Democrats view as critical to their Senate hopes. El-Sayed would be the first Muslim U.S. senator if elected.

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