Leftist Democrat urges unity after defeating establishment candidate in Michigan primary

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: © France 24 02:41 Issued on: 06/08/2026 - 12:16Modified: 06/08/2026 - 12:17 Progressive Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed defeated his centrist rival Haley Stevens in the Senatorial primary election in Michigan. He will face Republican challenger Mike Rogers in the midterms. His left-wing platform calls for universal healthcare, higher taxes on billionaires and corporations, and an end to military aid for Israel. The results reflect a growing leftward shift among American Democrats – but the narrowness of El-Sayed's victory has many in the party establishment worried for his chances in November. Analysis by FRANCE 24 international affairs editos, Kethevane Gorjestani. Keywords for this article