Establishment Dems Forced To Cover Left Flank In Vital Swing-State Primary

The Democratic establishment could lose its stronghold in Michigan as candidates are set to face competitive matchups from candidates to their left in Tuesday’s primary races.

Candidates endorsed by the Democratic establishment will face off with candidates backed by independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib and other anti-establishment politicians. Further-left candidates and members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have secured a series of victories in recent primaries.

In the Democratic Senate primary, Democratic Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens, who has served in the House since 2019, positioned herself as the moderate candidate, while former Wayne County health director Abdul El-Sayed campaigned on an anti-establishment platform. She supported reforming rather than abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), implementing a public option over Medicare for All and expressed strong support for Israel.

Stevens’ agenda included lowering healthcare costs, prioritizing clean water, lowering housing costs and creating economic opportunities in “underserved communities,” according to her campaign website.

El-Sayed led Stevens by a 15-point margin as of Thursday, according to an Emerson College Polling/WLNS/WOODTV survey.

Stevens faced scrutiny over her connection to the pro-Israel lobby. About 31% of donors who gave at least $200 to Stevens’ Senate campaign also donated to AIPAC since the start of 2025, The Detroit News reported in May. An AIPAC affiliate spent more than $5 million between campaign donations and independent expenditures in 2022, the last time Stevens ran in a House primary.

The congresswoman faced mockery for her bizarre campaign pep talk in mid-July.

“I am gonna be telling the stories on our behalf. And you better believe I’m gonna be doing it with a little bit of joy, a little bit of enthusiasm, a little bit of energy and a little bit of stick it to ’em. Because that’s the Michigan way,” Stevens said.

Her opponent, El-Sayed, was endorsed by Sanders, Tlaib, Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer essentially endorsed Stevens in June, stating that she had the “best chance of winning,” Punchbowl News reported. He quietly supported Stevens behind the scenes and asked party donors to support her, according to The New York Times.

El-Sayed campaigned on supporting Medicare for All, codifying abortion into law and permitting so-called “gender-affirming care,” according to his campaign website. He also supports abolishing ICE and overturning the Supreme Court decision, Citizens United.

Former Republican Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers, the presumptive GOP nominee in the race, led El-Sayed by 10 points in a hypothetical matchup, according to a Michigan Education survey from July 28. The poll showed that Rogers was almost tied with Stevens, as Stevens narrowly led him 46% to 45%.

The establishment may face another defeat in Michigan’s 13th district, where Democratic Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney will face off with incumbent Rep. Shri Thanedar. Sanders, Tlaib, Omar, Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark endorsed McKinney, who campaigned on ending military aid for Israel and providing aid to Gaza, reforming the “broken criminal justice system” by ending cash bail and changing sentencing guidelines and supporting Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.

The candidates will face off in a deep-blue, heavily black-majority district that includes the city of Detroit and other parts of Wayne County, Michigan’s most populous county.

Thanedar, who has been in Congress since January 2023, was endorsed by the establishment. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, Democratic New York Rep. Tom Suozzi, Democratic Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson and the 13th Congressional District Democratic Party Organization endorsed the congressman.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Omar and Nevada Rep. Steve Horsford, broke with Jeffries by endorsing McKinney.

“It’s not just about having Black representation, but that is a part of what appropriate representation looks for,” Democratic Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee told Politico. “You have a majority-Black district, and I think that there is certainly an appetite to see that again, or to at least make sure that a Black candidate has the opportunity to present themselves.”

Thanedar’s victory in November 2022 marked the first time since 1955 that a black lawmaker did not represent Michigan’s 13th district, according to Politico. He won after former Democratic Michigan state Rep. Adam Hollier, his most critical primary challenger, was disqualified from the ballot.

Thanedar filed seven articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on April 29, 2025, shortly after McKinney announced his candidacy. McKinney accused Thanedar of saying and doing “anything to have power and enrich himself.”

“Shri Thanedar will say and do anything to have power or enrich himself,” McKinney wrote on his website. “Before his run for Michigan Governor, he said he didn’t know whether he was going to run as a Republican or a Democrat. When asked about his abortion stance, he said he was comfortable with whatever position he needed to adopt to get the best chance to win.”

The progressive candidate accused Thanedar of supporting parts of Trump’s agenda and of taking thousands of dollars in campaign cash from ICE contractors, citing Federal Elections Commission (FEC) records. Thanedar called to abolish ICE, impeach Trump and fight for Medicare for All on his campaign website.

A Data for Progress poll released July 17 found Thanedar leading 46% to 42%.

In Michigan’s 7th district, two establishment candidates may split the centrist vote and pave the way for political activist William Lawrence’s victory. Lawrence, along with former Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam and former Ukraine Ambassador Bridget Brink, are seeking to unseat Republican Michigan Rep. Tom Barrett, who flipped the seat in 2024 after Democratic Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who previously held the seat, won her Senate race.

Lawrence received endorsements from Sanders, Tlaib and Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna. His platform includes supporting Gaza by ending military aid to Israel, abolishing ICE, codifying abortion into federal law and taxing billionaires, according to his website.

Lawrence co-founded the Sunrise Movement, an organization that advocates for action on climate change.

The race appeared to be a tossup between Lawrence and Brink, according to polling from June.

The Michigan Sunrise PAC spent $658,000 as of Tuesday to support Lawrence and oppose Maasdam, according to Roll Call. Democrats suspect the political action committee is a Republican front group seeking to help Lawrence win since they viewed him as the weaker general election candidate.

Lawrence received backlash for stating that some black lawmakers were a “pillar, frankly, for establishment, capitalist, imperialist American power” during a 2024 episode of his podcast. He stated on July 11 that he regretted his choice of words.

“The way I made this point was clumsy, and I regret my choice of words. I understand the potential impact when received out of context. The way the story is being reported does not reflect my beliefs,” Lawrence said on X.

Maasdam and Brink ran on similar platforms, which included lowering healthcare costs and passing the PRO Act so workers can organize for higher wages, according to their campaign websites. The two candidates are vying for support from the same pool of voters, which could allow Lawrence to secure the nomination.

El-Sayed and Lawrence both opposed data centers, with Lawrence making his opposition to the centers a central issue of his campaign, according to E&E News. Lawrence called for a moratorium on data centers.

Several sitting members of Congress struggled to run for statewide offices in the 2026 election cycle, including Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy and Republican South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, who lost their bids to become the next attorney general and governor of their states, respectively.

In the Michigan GOP gubernatorial primary, Trump endorsed Michigan Republican Rep. John James on June 22, giving James an advantage in the upcoming primary. James led Oakland County businessman Perry Johnson 40% to 32% in an Emerson  College/WLNS 6 News poll released Thursday.

DSA-backed candidates won several primaries in New York and Colorado and, in some instances, defeated longtime incumbents. Democratic Colorado congressional candidate Melat Kiros, a socialist, defeated incumbent Democratic Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette after serving 29 years in Congress.