The DSA got what it wanted in Michigan. Republicans got what they needed. And the Democratic establishment got exactly what it deserved for spending months enabling a socialist takeover it was too timid to confront.
Abdul El-Sayed — DSA-backed, Hasan Piker-endorsed, anti-Israel, openly socialist — won the Michigan Democratic Senate primary Tuesday morning, narrowly defeating establishment candidate Haley Stevens 48.5% to 47.5%. The margin was far tighter than anyone expected. El-Sayed was supposed to dominate. He barely survived. Which tells you two things simultaneously: the DSA’s grip on the Michigan Democratic base is real, and the general election candidate it produced is already starting from a position of weakness.
Trump’s reaction was immediate and accurate: “Great news for the Republican Party. El-Sayed, a Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel, is the projected winner.”
? NOW: President Trump OBLITERATES Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El Sayed, calling him a "Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel"
"Great news for the Republican Party. El-Sayed, a Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel, is the projected winner in his race with… pic.twitter.com/rg4ztio8TM
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 5, 2026
He’s right on the politics. He’s right on the substance.
El-Sayed has stated that Israel does not have a right to exist. He has backed the DSA platform — which calls for abolishing the Senate, defunding the Pentagon, opening the borders, and emptying the prisons. His chief backer, Hasan Piker, has openly described his movement’s goals as communism. And he just won the Democratic nomination in Michigan — a state Trump carried in 2024 and which Senator Mike Rogers, the Republican incumbent, was already defending from a position of strength.
The margin is the most politically significant detail. El-Sayed winning by one point against an establishment Democrat who had the full backing of the DCCC, significant fundraising advantages, and months of institutional support is not a mandate. It’s a near-miss. It tells you that approximately half of Michigan’s Democratic primary electorate looked at El-Sayed’s platform — Israel doesn’t have a right to exist, abolish the Senate, defund the Pentagon, open the borders — and chose the other candidate anyway. The general election electorate in Michigan is a considerably different animal than the Democratic primary electorate.
The warning from conservative commentators — including the Townhall piece itself — deserves to be taken seriously despite the justified optimism. Michigan has elected Democrats statewide before. El-Sayed is a skilled communicator who raised serious money and nearly won a gubernatorial primary in 2018. The McLaughlin data shows that when the race is framed as capitalism versus socialism, Republicans win. But framing requires discipline, consistency, and the willingness to make the argument clearly from now until November.
Mike Rogers needs to run every El-Sayed clip, every DSA quote, every Piker endorsement in every media market in Michigan from today until Election Day. Make every Michigan voter answer one question: do you agree that Israel doesn’t have a right to exist?
The DSA won the primary. Michigan voters will decide the rest.
Republicans should be energized. They should also be prepared to fight like they could lose — because they can.
