Michigan Emerges as a 'Litmus Test' for the Left
The Senate primary is evolving into a highly scrutinized contest between progressives and moderates.
TroibNews
A podcaster and former Wayne County official's entry into the U.S. Senate race, backed by Bernie Sanders — marking the progressive champion's first endorsement of the year — has significantly positioned Michigan as a crucial battleground state for the midterms.
Michigan is evolving into a focal point for the left, presenting the most definitive test of the Democratic Party's future direction.
Prior to Abdul El-Sayed's campaign announcement, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a liberal Democrat, made waves in the race by criticizing the "same old crap out of Washington" and asserting that she would not support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
In contrast, moderate Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens is expected to announce her Senate candidacy soon. She has been reaching out to Democrats to encourage them to run for her House seat, as reported by two Michigan Democrats who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
This situation has ignited a clash between progressives and moderates regarding economic and foreign messaging, as well as leadership within the party. The primary's victor in this key battleground will influence national Democrats’ messaging in 2026 and the subsequent presidential election.
El-Sayed has already taken aim at McMorrow, indicating that anyone who "unilaterally oppose[s]" a leadership candidate without knowing the alternatives is "either unnuanced or unsophisticated."
Michigan State Rep. Emily Dievendorf, a progressive, remarked, "If the left does not make its stand, we will not have strength in this seat. It is a litmus test for whether we are going to be willing to have courage in this moment. And I do think the two Democratic candidates that have emerged so far certainly aim to speak to the needs of our more progressive voters and the average American."
The primary is exposing fractures even within the party's left wing, and the outcomes could dictate how assertively Democrats across the ideological spectrum challenge older party members. El-Sayed and Stevens are standing by Schumer, while McMorrow has indicated she would reject him due to his management of a GOP-backed government funding bill.
According to state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, a progressive, the state is "at the center of this conversation." She added, "We're going to continue being a focal point when it comes to that debate, and I think that we are also in a position to kind of reach a sort of consensus about what we need right now in terms of moving the Democratic Party forward."
While the race is still in early stages, the contested primary and noticeable ideological divides are prompting concern among some strategists, who fear that an intra-party battle might harm the candidate who advances to the general election. The competition to fill the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is a major target for Republicans in a state that Donald Trump narrowly won last year. After former Rep. Mike Rogers announced his campaign this week, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott promptly endorsed him.
Caitlin Legacki, a Democratic campaign veteran, stressed, “The Michigan Senate seat is imminently winnable, but if the primary challengers decide to turn this into a proxy fight among the party’s most online factions, we are cooked.”
El-Sayed, who has been vocally critical of Israel's actions in Gaza, which has angered some centrist Democrats, downplayed the national implications of the race, stating, “I think Bernie’s endorsing in this race because he sees the opportunity to empower somebody who wants to join him in the Senate to make sure that we've got a politics that works for working people.”
Historically, Sanders' statewide endorsements in Michigan have not yielded strong results. After supporting El-Sayed's gubernatorial campaign in 2018, more moderate Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, who ran on a platform of 'fix the damn roads,’ decisively defeated him in all 83 counties.
Stevens' team perceives El-Sayed and McMorrow as competing in the same progressive space. In response, she is likely to focus on "Michiganizing" the race rather than nationalizing it, according to a supportive strategist who spoke anonymously.
However, in outlining this strategy for her campaign, the strategist indicated a critique of the progressive left: “It’s a focus on Michigan, Michigan’s auto industry, and manufacturing jobs versus a national conversation about progressive leadership and Democratic punditry,” the strategist said.
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
Michigan is evolving into a focal point for the left, presenting the most definitive test of the Democratic Party's future direction.
Prior to Abdul El-Sayed's campaign announcement, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a liberal Democrat, made waves in the race by criticizing the "same old crap out of Washington" and asserting that she would not support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
In contrast, moderate Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens is expected to announce her Senate candidacy soon. She has been reaching out to Democrats to encourage them to run for her House seat, as reported by two Michigan Democrats who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
This situation has ignited a clash between progressives and moderates regarding economic and foreign messaging, as well as leadership within the party. The primary's victor in this key battleground will influence national Democrats’ messaging in 2026 and the subsequent presidential election.
El-Sayed has already taken aim at McMorrow, indicating that anyone who "unilaterally oppose[s]" a leadership candidate without knowing the alternatives is "either unnuanced or unsophisticated."
Michigan State Rep. Emily Dievendorf, a progressive, remarked, "If the left does not make its stand, we will not have strength in this seat. It is a litmus test for whether we are going to be willing to have courage in this moment. And I do think the two Democratic candidates that have emerged so far certainly aim to speak to the needs of our more progressive voters and the average American."
The primary is exposing fractures even within the party's left wing, and the outcomes could dictate how assertively Democrats across the ideological spectrum challenge older party members. El-Sayed and Stevens are standing by Schumer, while McMorrow has indicated she would reject him due to his management of a GOP-backed government funding bill.
According to state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, a progressive, the state is "at the center of this conversation." She added, "We're going to continue being a focal point when it comes to that debate, and I think that we are also in a position to kind of reach a sort of consensus about what we need right now in terms of moving the Democratic Party forward."
While the race is still in early stages, the contested primary and noticeable ideological divides are prompting concern among some strategists, who fear that an intra-party battle might harm the candidate who advances to the general election. The competition to fill the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is a major target for Republicans in a state that Donald Trump narrowly won last year. After former Rep. Mike Rogers announced his campaign this week, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott promptly endorsed him.
Caitlin Legacki, a Democratic campaign veteran, stressed, “The Michigan Senate seat is imminently winnable, but if the primary challengers decide to turn this into a proxy fight among the party’s most online factions, we are cooked.”
El-Sayed, who has been vocally critical of Israel's actions in Gaza, which has angered some centrist Democrats, downplayed the national implications of the race, stating, “I think Bernie’s endorsing in this race because he sees the opportunity to empower somebody who wants to join him in the Senate to make sure that we've got a politics that works for working people.”
Historically, Sanders' statewide endorsements in Michigan have not yielded strong results. After supporting El-Sayed's gubernatorial campaign in 2018, more moderate Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, who ran on a platform of 'fix the damn roads,’ decisively defeated him in all 83 counties.
Stevens' team perceives El-Sayed and McMorrow as competing in the same progressive space. In response, she is likely to focus on "Michiganizing" the race rather than nationalizing it, according to a supportive strategist who spoke anonymously.
However, in outlining this strategy for her campaign, the strategist indicated a critique of the progressive left: “It’s a focus on Michigan, Michigan’s auto industry, and manufacturing jobs versus a national conversation about progressive leadership and Democratic punditry,” the strategist said.
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
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