Michigan primary election: Abdul El-Sayed defeats pro-Zionist mainstream Democrat

The Democratic primary election in Michigan, which took place Aug. 4, has the ruling class worried. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive, a Muslim and the son of Egyptian immigrants, defeated mainstream Democrat Haley Stevens, a Congressional representative since 2019. 

While El-Sayed has stated publicly that he is not a socialist, he had the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, all “democratic socialists.” In the most expensive primary race in U.S. history, Stevens spent nine times as much as El-Sayed on the campaign, with over $30 million of her funding coming from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Stevens is a strong backer of the Zionist state, while El-Sayed has opposed U.S. funding of the genocide in Gaza.

President Donald Trump wasted no time in labeling the potential senator a “Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel.” (Aljazeera.com, Aug. 6). The charges — standard allegations when any candidate opposes Israel, such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — were repeated by El-Sayed’s MAGA Republican opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers. AIPAC has stated that it will fund Rogers’ campaign.

A setback for the right wing

Rogers has made a crass appeal to Islamophobia. The Detroit News reports: “Campaign materials have begun referring to El-Sayed by his full name, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed. Ads supporting Republican nominee Mike Rogers juxtapose El-Sayed with imagery from Sept. 11 and Osama bin Laden.” (Aug. 8).

El Sayed’s program emphasized bread-and-butter issues; his slogan was “Money out of politics. Money in your pockets. Medicare for All.” Nevertheless, his win reflects growing anti-Zionist sentiment, including in Michigan, which has significant West Asian and Muslim populations. In the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primary, 13% of the voters — over 100,000 people — voted for “uncommitted” to show opposition to candidate Kamala Harris’s support for Israel. 

Abbas Alawieh, a cofounder of the Uncommitted movement, won the Democratic primary vote for Michigan state senator. Other social democrats who defeated mainstream Democrats in the Michigan primary include Donavan McKinney and William Lawrence, candidates for the U.S. House Of Representatives.

Elections: a barometer

It would be wrong to conclude that these candidates, if elected, can bring about real, substantial change. In fact, many of Mayor Mamdani’s progressive promises — such as free buses — have yet to be implemented. As long as the capitalist system of exploitation, which none of the “progressive” Democrats call for abolishing, remains in place, reforms will be limited. 

Yet while the form — in this case the capitalist Democratic Party — of this struggle over politics is regressive, its content is progressive. If El-Sayed defeats Rogers in November, it will be a victory against Zionism, Islamophobia and red-baiting.

As a barometer of working-class sentiment, the elections offer revolutionaries important information. One, solidarity with Palestine has grown exponentially. Two, fear mongering around socialism and communism does not frighten voters, especially younger voters. This shows a shift to the left in consciousness.

This is what is scaring the ruling class. Working-class revolutionaries need to recognize the importance of this development, while at the same time charting an independent, class struggle orientation away from the Democrats.