Michigan’s Senate Primary Turns Ugly Ahead of Tuesday Voting

Michigan, where Donald Trump won both times he reached the White House, is a useful miniature of what the loitering gallery of presidential aspirants face across the country in two years. Not all lessons will be welcome for the would-be candidates, nor will they be fully understood until we know the outcome in November. 

But if the tone in this race’s final days is a hint, it signals that the win-at-all-costs footing that has defined the era of Trump has crept into the Democratic ether. Acrimony doesn’t even begin to get at the mood on the ground, according to operatives in both camps. In a recent podcast interview, El-Sayed called Stevens “the least capable candidate in America.” Stevens responded with a message on her social media on Thursday that showed how raw feelings have become: “Everyone in America understands you want to blame all of your problems on Jewish Americans.” 

This primary is about as perfect a snapshot as you could find of the tensions playing out among Democrats. In a swing state like Michigan, Stevens was widely acknowledged as the stronger candidate to go against the presumptive Republican nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers. Her supporters include outgoing Sen. Gary Peters, and party heavyweights like Chuck Schumer (but not, notably, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who was Stevens’ former House colleague, but has stayed out of the primary). Meanwhile, El-Sayed—who would be the country’s first Muslim U.S. Senator—has captured the imagination of the left wing of the Democratic Party, drawing visits from Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. At the same time, his unrelenting criticism of Israel has opened wounds inside the Jewish community in Michigan—and beyond—as his detractors say he is venturing into dangerous anti-semititic territory. Add in the race and religion factors animating the race, and Tuesday’s primary in Michigan could lay bare which litmus tests are likely to shape the 2028 presidential contest.