Abdul El-Sayed wins closely contested Michigan's Senate Democratic primary race

The Democratic Party's progressive wing scored a high-profile victory when Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's US Senate primary, giving its anti-establishment and anti-Israel message a boost ahead of November's midterm elections.

El-Sayed, whose message focused on healthcare, the economy and an end to unconditional military aid to Israel, was the first progressive to win a statewide primary in a state that President Donald Trump carried in 2024.

Tuesday's vote, billed as a defining test of the party's direction, became an election-night cliffhanger before US media projected early on Wednesday that El-Sayed had narrowly prevailed over US Representative Haley Stevens, a moderate supported by Democratic leaders and pro-Israel groups.

The race served as a battleground between progressives and moderates over support for Israel, an issue that has played out in primaries nationwide this year.

Analysts had said one significant factor in El-Sayed's favor was that Michigan is home to some of the country's largest Arab American communities, where hostility to Israel runs deep.

The result is likely to be scrutinized by prospective 2028 presidential contenders searching for a message to reconnect with voters after the party's loss to Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

El-Sayed's victory intensifies debate within Democratic ranks over the political appeal of economic populism, anti-establishment campaigning and a tougher approach toward Israel. 

National groups poured unprecedented sums into the race, making it one of the country's biggest tests of outside spending.

Groups backing Stevens spent more than $50 million, led by more than $30 million from AIPAC and its affiliates.

The spending thrust Israel policy into the center of the race even though the ads never mentioned it. While El-Sayed called for ending military aid to Israel, Stevens maintained strong support for the relationship.

Israel became a contentious issue within the Democratic Party amid a genocidal war on Gaza that killed more than 73,000 Palestinians.

In a heavily Democratic district representing Detroit, the 13th, Rep. Shri Thanedar looked to fend off a primary challenge from state Rep. Donavan McKinney, who argued that the city should once again have a Black representative in Congress.

After Thanedar won election in 2022, Detroit had no Black representation in Congress for the first time since the early 1950s.