Michigan Senate Race’s Winners and Losers: AIPAC, CAIR, Whitmer

Given El-Sayed’s narrow win, that push looks even more impactful, allowing the country’s largest Muslim civil rights groups to more firmly showcase its power in Michigan, as it finds itself targeted on multiple fronts in some red states. 

Stevens was the undisputed choice of the Democratic Establishment. She was a swing state Democrat who previously won on the same ballot as Trump. She had been through the vetting, could raise money, and seemed a practical choice to hold the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. 

But Washington insiders’ efforts to help Stevens actually worked against her in a year when Democratic voters were more aligned with El-Sayed’s contempt for the Establishment. That anger found a vessel in El-Sayed and a target in Stevens. Even though Democratic leaders didn’t get their way, that doesn’t mean they’re giving up on Michigan. Quickly after El-Sayed’s primary victory became clear, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair, released a statement of support. “We look forward to working with Abdul and Democrats across Michigan to win this seat in November,” they said.