In what will be seen as this year’s most significant election, Dr Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary. It was a close contest – a nail-biter, as we say – but it was a pivotal moment in US politics. He beat Ms Stevens by barely a percentage point, 49 per cent to 47.
It was the first time that Israel’s war in Gaza and massive US military support to Israel became central themes debated across the state. The issue has surfaced in a few other races. But this Senate race was different. That the US has been subsidising Israeli policies that have taken such a huge toll on Palestinians and Lebanese was discussed daily. From the results, it is clear that Israel and the candidate who supported it, four-term Congresswoman Haley Stevens, both lost.
Another major issue debated in this contest was the role of “dark money” and other independent expenditures. We’ve seen dark money dominate campaigns in the past. But never at this level. At last count, Ms Stevens had benefited from more than $54 million in outside spending, with the bulk of these funds coming directly from pro-Israel groups, led by the Israel lobby, Aipac. In contrast, Mr El-Sayed’s campaign was fuelled largely by small donors. Overall, Ms Stevens and Aipac outspent Mr El-Sayed by a margin of more than 11 to one. In the end, dark money and Aipac were resoundingly defeated, proving that money can prop up a candidate but cannot buy an election.
The El-Sayed/Stevens contest also became a national face-off between the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and the party’s establishment – with leading Democrats from both wings endorsing and campaigning in the state. Mr El-Sayed’s win in this bellwether Midwestern battleground state represents a breakthrough for the progressives. It demonstrated that the “establishment” itself has become toxic to many Democratic voters.
Beyond Mr El-Sayed, the election marks a huge victory for Michigan’s Arab Americans. Four decades ago, a candidate for mayor of Dearborn made “Let’s talk about the Arab problem” a central issue in his campaign. Since then that community has continued to organise, register voters and win elections. Much maligned after registering their discontent with the Biden administration’s support for Israel, they came roaring back by helping to elect an Arab American as the Democratic Senate nominee. Not only that, but in the Dearborn-area contest for the Democratic nomination for Michigan’s state Senate, Abbas Alawieh won decisively. Mr Alawieh was a co-founder of the 2024 “Uncommitted” movement.
I am hard-pressed to find an election that was more consequential and broke ground in more areas than this Michigan primary contest. Now it is on to November, where Mr El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers in a race that may well decide control of the Senate.
