{"id":1297,"date":"2026-08-03T22:06:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T22:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1297"},"modified":"2026-08-03T22:06:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T22:06:25","slug":"el-sayed-surges-in-michigan-senate-primary-polls-despite-big-spending-by-aipac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1297","title":{"rendered":"El-Sayed Surges in Michigan Senate Primary Polls Despite Big Spending by AIPAC"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Early in the Michigan Senate Democratic primary, Erin Mallen sent $10 to State Senator Mallory McMorrow. Mallen, a mom who runs an Etsy shop near Traverse City, a liberal bastion in northern Michigan, liked McMorrow \u2014 she is young and a break from the Senate\u2019s establishment who occupied a middle lane between Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed, Mallen said. <\/p>\n

Lagging in the polls, McMorrow dropped out in June, leaving Mallen to choose between the progressive Abdul El-Sayed and establishment Haley Stevens. Mallen liked El-Sayed more, but was hesitant. \u201cI just don\u2019t know that someone named \u2018Abdul\u2019 can win in Michigan,\u201d she told Mondoweiss<\/em>. <\/p>\n

Her hesitation is emblematic of an overarching theme in the race: Can an Arab-American win in a statewide general election in an upper Midwest swing state? Mallen was turned off by Stevens\u2019 willingness to take dark money or corporate contributions from groups like AIPAC and DTE Energy, which have spent about $70 million attacking El Sayed. In the end, she voted for El-Sayed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always liked Abdul more, and he is probably the better choice \u2014 Stevens has too much baggage and doesn\u2019t seem to stand for a break from anything, which is what people want,\u201d Mallen said. <\/p>\n

Recent polls indicate El-Sayed is pulling ahead, which suggests once-undecided Michiganders like Mallen are breaking for him. He was up by as much as 18 points in polling released last week. If accurate, he would pull off a stunning upset in Tuesday\u2019s primary. The winner takes on the Trump-backed Republican Mike Rogers in the general. <\/p>\n

El-Sayed would arguably be the most progressive U.S. Senate member. His campaign is focused on populist economics and affordability, getting money out of politics, and Medicare for All. He is an outspoken critic of U.S. military support for not just Israel, but any foreign country. Still, he has bucked the \u201cleftist\u201d label, stating that he looks at the political divide as a matter of \u201ctop and bottom.\u201d <\/p>\n

The race is the latest proxy war between the Democratic Party\u2019s political establishment and the insurgent left, the latter of which has already notched major wins this primary season, including the \u201csocialist sweep\u201d in New York. Anti-establishment leftists have won in Colorado, New Jersey, and elsewhere, and this wing of the party will almost certainly have much more power in Congress next year. <\/p>\n

But Michigan is an upper Midwest swing state where the establishment has always ruled, and many political observers believe El-Sayed\u2019s brand of politics cannot win here. That\u2019s partly what, at first, gave Robert Hart, a special education teacher who lives in Oakland County, a wealthier suburban area north of Detroit, pause about supporting El-Sayed. <\/p>\n

Hart considered McMorrow briefly but was left unimpressed when she held a question-and-answer session with his union, the Michigan Education Association. She \u201cgave politician responses\u201d to Hart\u2019s questions, but, beyond the issue of whether \u201cAbdul\u201d can survive the inevitable onslaught of racism in a general election, his politics are clearly to the left of most holding office here. <\/p>\n

But it did not take Hart long to settle on El-Sayed. <\/p>\n

\u201cPoliticians like Bernie and Abdul are altruistic, they\u2019re doing it for the good of the people, to make the world a better place, and he\u2019s not taking any corporate PAC money like a lot of the Republicans and Democrats,\u201d Hart said. \u201cSo I thought, why not give him a shot?\u201d <\/p>\n

Polling on the question of who is more electable is mixed. A pollster with links to the political establishment put El-Sayed behind by nine in a hypothetical match-up with Rogers. Most others have put El-Sayed ahead by a few points, while a Sunday poll by EPIC-MRA, one of the state\u2019s strongest pollsters, put El-Sayed behind by three and Stevens up by two against Rogers. <\/p>\n

Read more Report: Trump Admin Is \u201cCrowdsourcing\u201d Ideas for Ending War in Iran<\/a><\/p>\n

In the primary race, Stevens has polled better among Black voters in Detroit, especially older voters, who are generally more conservative. El-Sayed\u2019s strength lies in the rural western and northern parts of the state, and should he win the primary, support in these regions, including winning over Trump voters, would be crucial. <\/p>\n

The campaign has touted its cross-over appeal with economically dissatisfied voters, and some of those come from Three Rivers, a small manufacturing town near Kalamazoo. El-Sayed joined the picket line with a small United Auto Workers local representing workers at an American Axle Manufacturing plant that went on strike over their low hourly wages. <\/p>\n

It surprised the union that El-Sayed showed up to such a small strike, but a Senate candidate\u2019s presence \u201cgave us more strength and extra oomph,\u201d said UAW member April Van Aken. They won a $7-per-hour raise after 10 days.<\/p>\n

Van Aken and others have mobilized for El-Sayed, knocking on doors, and she said she\u2019s surprised by the level of receptivity to him in this largely red area. Many are frustrated with inflation, the Iran War, and other issues, and El-Sayed\u2019s pro-union positions resonate with those who may switch sides, Van Aken said. <\/p>\n

They do hear concerns that El-Sayed is an immigrant, Van Aken said. Others point to Stevens\u2019 allegations that El-Sayed is \u201csexist\u201d because he has criticized Michelle Obama and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Van Aken said they explain that El-Sayed is not an immigrant, and the sexism allegations are a smear campaign. <\/p>\n

The AIPAC and DTE Energy contributions to Stevens are a major red flag to many in the area, where Israel is unpopular, Van Aken said. That, combined with El-Sayed joining the picket line, helped convince one Stevens supporter to switch sides. <\/p>\n

\u201cI thought \u2018Wow \u2014 I really wasn\u2019t expecting that because he was hardcore Haley Stevens,\u2019\u201d Van Aken added. <\/p>\n

In Ann Arbor, among the state\u2019s most liberal cities, Rima Mohammad, a member of the local school board and co-founder of the progressive People\u2019s Coalition, said there is a palpable excitement around the campaign. Mohammad recounted an old woman at a farmer\u2019s market who was moved to tears as they talked about El-Sayed. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s emotional and people feel hopeful and that he is truly genuine and is really going to represent them,\u201d Mohammad said. There is also synergy with a local city council race in which a slate led by a Democratic Socialist of America mayoral candidate is seeking to oust about half of an establishment political machine that has long governed the city. <\/p>\n

Mohammad, who is Palestinian-American, said the primary has been emotionally draining for Arab-American and Muslim communities because of the Islamophobic attacks on them by Stevens, her supporters, AIPAC, and the political establishment. Still, there\u2019s also hope. <\/p>\n

\u201cEl-Sayed winning would mean people like us can do this, and people who are Arab and Muslim can step up and win a U.S. Senate race,\u201d Mohammad said. \u201cIt would show that we belong in the state and in its politics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Unpublished DNC Autopsy Chapter Slams \u201cSelf-Enriching\u201d Consultants for 2024 Loss<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The pro-Israel group has spent record amounts to back Haley Stevens against progressive challenger Abdul El-Sayed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nEl-Sayed Surges in Michigan Senate Primary Polls Despite Big Spending by AIPAC - Smart Moving Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1297\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"El-Sayed Surges in Michigan Senate Primary Polls Despite Big Spending by AIPAC - Smart Moving Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The pro-Israel group has spent record amounts to back Haley Stevens against progressive challenger Abdul El-Sayed.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1297\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smart Moving Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-03T22:06:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1297#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1297\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ec0d70042821fd684a174c8d0e8becfa\"},\"headline\":\"El-Sayed Surges in Michigan Senate Primary Polls Despite Big Spending by AIPAC\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-03T22:06:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1297\"},\"wordCount\":1206,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1297#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/5b4c4a6bf3cad89ed52d934433cadca0.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1297#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1297\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1297\",\"name\":\"El-Sayed Surges in Michigan Senate Primary Polls Despite Big Spending by AIPAC - 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