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The heated battle between the left wing and the center-left for the future of the Democratic Party took place on Tuesday in the battleground state of Michigan.
That’s when Rep. Moderate Haley Stevens, supported by Senate Minerals Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., and the party’s establishment, faced a heated Senate nomination debate against former Wayne County Health Department Director Abdul El-Sayed, a left-leaning candidate endorsed by progressive champions Sen. Bernie Corn, Sanders The Rev. DN.Y.
The sharpest exchange centered on campaign finance, foreign spending and US policy toward Israel, with El-Sayed repeatedly accusing Stevens of benefiting from millions of dollars in foreign spending from pro-Israel and corporate-affiliated groups.
“If you want your politics to be found by AIPAC or Chuck Schumer, I’m not the person for you,” said El-Sayed, arguing that the Democratic Party will not change if it continues to elect leaders who take money from corporations. Stevens responded by accusing El-Sayed of benefiting from Republican efforts to boost him in the primary. “What I have to answer my opponent is, why is the GOP spending thousands of dollars to fund their campaign, saying they’re going to make Mike Rogers the next US senator?” Stevens said.
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Rep. Michigan’s Haley Stevens, right, and former Wayne County Health Department Director Abdul El-Sayed face off in the August 4, 2026 Democratic Senate race in the Great Lakes battleground. (Evan Cobb for The Washington Post via Getty Images; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The contest comes four weeks before Michigan’s primary, with the winner facing former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who is on his way to the GOP nomination, in a key midterm battle to succeed Sen. Gary Peters of the Democratic Alliance.
The rare open Senate seat is a top Republican target and must be held by Democrats as they aim to return the Senate majority to the GOP, which currently controls the chamber by a slim 53-47 margin.
The anti-establishment group El-Sayed, a vocal critic of Israel, denounced AIPAC’s influence in American politics and accused politicians, such as Stevens, of being “bought by AIPAC” on Tuesday night. “As long as our politicians continue to be bought by AIPAC, don’t be surprised if we fight wars that are good for them,” said El-Sayed.
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Stevens, on the other hand, sought to turn El-Sayed’s attacks on foreign spending on him, pressing the candidate to release his tax returns and accusing him of failing to disclose who funded his campaign and work.
“Yes, look, transparency is also important, that’s why I released my tax returns. My opponent, Abdul, said transparency is important, but he still hasn’t released his tax returns,” said Stevens. “Abdoul talks about taking money out of politics and putting money in people’s pockets. But who is putting your money? What are you hiding?
Stevens, who agreed with El-Sayed for an immediate end to US involvement in Iran, also highlighted the differences between him and his opponent by emphasizing his support for a two-state solution.
“The difference between me and my opponent on this issue is that I believe in a two-state solution,” said Stevens. “I would say that Israel has the right to live in peace with the people of Palestine and Gaza.”
An Israeli soldier lives on the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel. (AP/Tsafrir Abayov)
Immigration enforcement also took center stage during the debate, with El-Sayed saying ICE needs to be abolished and accusing Stevens of changing his tone to be more aggressive toward the agency Tuesday night.
Stevens responded by accusing El-Sayed of using “Republican tactics,” saying that the House vote El-Sayed cited, which Stevens “voted to thank ICE and increase their budget,” was a “senseless” move by the GOP to include the rejection of the anti-terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado and funding for the immigration agency.
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“There was a bill on the floor of the House to condemn the anti-terrorist attack that took place in Boulder, Colorado, which killed one person and injured a Holocaust survivor. Instead of bringing it together, the Republicans put an absurd point about thanking ICE,” Stevens said in response to El-Sayed’s accusations that he is an ICE supporter. “I will always be against violence, and I just wish that my opponent would not pursue the dishonest ways of the Republicans when we need unity.”
As for childcare, Stevens pointed to increasing subsidies and paid family leave, while El-Sayed wants childcare to be “100% free” and paid for by taxing billions of dollars. The debate also revealed a long exchange of artificial intelligence and data centers. El-Sayed called for stricter federal watchdog regulations, unionized labor requirements, public benefit agreements and “AI’s FDA,” while Stevens said data centers should be forced to pay utility and water bills, so Michigan families don’t get stuck with higher costs.
Tuesday night’s debate was held two days after state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who was the third-placed Democratic candidate in the primary, suspended her campaign.
McMorrow, who has seen his national profile rise in recent years and is running as a frontrunner in the ideological field between El-Sayed and Stevens, has halted his campaign amid faltering poll numbers and fundraising that has not matched his two main rivals.
McMorrow has pledged his full support to whichever Democrat wins the primary and will ultimately face Rogers, who is running for a second consecutive term in the Senate after losing in 2024 to so-far-Sen. Elissa Slotkin in skinny jeans.
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After McMorrow dropped out of the race, Stevens praised his fellow Democrat, calling him an “important voice” for policies that benefit Michigan families. Stevens, backed by millions in super PAC spending, including large sums from pro-Israel groups, has argued that he is the strongest Democratic candidate to win the race and defeat Rogers in November.
Representative Haley Stevens, Democrat of Michigan, listens during a debate on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, Wednesday, October 16, 2019. Stevens represents Michigan’s 11th congressional district. Photographer: Melissa Lyttle/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Melissa Lyttle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
El-Sayed praised McMorrow for having the “courage” to challenge what he described as a corrupt political system, accusing Democratic Party insiders of using millions to gain influence. While he did not name specific groups, his comments appeared to refer to corporate PACs and establishment party leaders like Schumer.
El-Sayed, who, if elected, would make history as the nation’s first Muslim senator, is an epidemiologist who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018. He made support for “Medicare-for-all” a major part of his campaign.
The left-leaning candidate has also called for an end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and is an outspoken critic of Israel during its war with Hamas – even describing Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” against the Palestinians. And El-Sayed, who served as a top executive on Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, has vowed not to accept PAC donations.
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Schumer and the party’s establishment view Stevens as a better choice than El-Sayed, who has stirred controversy with his past views. They are concerned that El-Sayed as nominated by the party will jeopardize the Senate seat controlled by the Democratic Alliance by pushing the party too far to the left of the President. Donald Trump two years ago by just over one percentage point.
El-Sayed’s victory over Stevens in next month’s primary would give the left a major victory at the state level, and could increase its momentum in the battle for the future of the Democratic Party.
On Tuesday night, Stevens relied on his congressional record, Obama’s tenure on the US Auto Rescue Task Force, his manufacturing background, and bipartisan efforts in Congress, including legislative work aimed at preventing Chinese automakers from undercutting American automakers.
“We can build affordable cars here in Michigan without the Chinese coming in to eat our lunch. Not on my watch,” Stevens said.
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El-Sayed relied on being a political outsider who refused corporate and Super PAC donations, while pointing to his UAW endorsement and arguing that Democrats need to be more aggressive in confronting Wall Street and business influence in many areas.
“There’s a reason the UAW endorsed me in this race,” El-Sayed said, arguing that companies are “more interested in the quarterly bottom line than they are in the long-term progress of productivity.”
