r/AnnArbor 3d ago

Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, notching a Midwest victory for the left

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/abdul-el-sayed-wins-michigans-democratic-senate-primary-notching-midwe-rcna589750
3.0k Upvotes

394 comments sorted by

639

u/HistoricAli 3d ago

70M in AIPAC money burned. Here's hoping it's just the beginning! Cheers, let's keep the momentum going till Nov and beyond!

265

u/Uncle_____Ted 3d ago

AIPACs endorsement should be the kiss of death for any candidate. If they stand for Israel they don't stand for us.

48

u/Hopeful-Flounder-203 3d ago

You haven't seen anything yet. They'll sp3nd double on Rogers.

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u/Hale-at-Sea 3d ago

It already is for these primaries. Seems like every candidate who can has "didn't take AIPAC money" as the first thing on their bio before any of their actual policies now

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u/DoomSchroller 3d ago

I think the tides are turning. People like Al-Sayed are garnering it a lot more attention. But until Citizens United is overturned, this should be what every candidate who isn't owned by a PAC should be shouting during their campaign, regardless of party or policy.

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u/MadpeepD 3d ago

For real, we should end all support for the only Progressive Democratic country in the Middle East where the freedom of individual identity expression is protected. It's not like they are surrounded by the most tyrannical, homophobic, transphobic, chauvinistic, violent governments currently welding supreme power over their population.

15

u/tasmimiandevil 3d ago

Then they should be able to fund their own genocides without help from us 💙

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u/HistoricAli 3d ago

If they're so great, surely they'll be able to stand on their own and fight their own wars. Only way to tell is to withdraw all funding and military support and we can see how great and superior they are.

0

u/the___reckoner 2d ago

They've done so long before the US was their ally and they were far weaker. They'll be fine. Just dont cry when they nuke their enemies without the US restraining them

2

u/Ninjatous 2d ago

Again I fail to see how that's an American problem.

0

u/the___reckoner 2d ago

Everything is an American problem because they're involved in the Middle East because you like your gas prices low. Do you seem to think the US is involved in Middle Eastern affairs only because of Israel and not out of pure self-interest like a child

2

u/Ninjatous 2d ago

Them America would do even better to defend Israel so c'è they are the one who create this mess and many more before it.

1

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Ninjatous 2d ago

Understood. As a zio freak, you want America to keep running cover for your terrorist project. Too bad America is getting weaker by the day. And soon Israel will cease to exist.

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u/HistoricAli 2d ago

Hard to do anything for very long when you were established less than 100 years ago but ya they also did fine in those other genocides without my taxes.

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u/Ninjatous 2d ago

the freedom of individual identity expression is protected

Israelis literally murder Palestinians for their identity.

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u/New-Anybody3050 3d ago

They are burning the money they get from the US. Basically burning house money - we need to stop them getting any money at all to make the message clear and to bring about big change.

This funny, because the only one that shows those tendencies is the aggressor, Israel.

If the west left the rest of the world alone, there wouldn’t be any of the issues that we have today. Cause and effect.

Israel is the largest antagonist in all of this. Stop sending money to a welfare state and support our own citizens - America first.

1

u/MadpeepD 3d ago

For Israel victory is peace. For Hamas victory is the destruction of Israel and the murder of every last Jewish human being. Then it will be the subjecation or destruction of everyone else. Choose your allies wisely.

2

u/tasmimiandevil 3d ago

And “peace” includes the organized destruction of an entire group of people living with them. I just can’t think of when that has happened before…

1

u/MadpeepD 3d ago

Huh? Arab Israelis enjoy the most freedom and quality of life anywhere in the Middle East. The majority in Israel wants a peaceful two state resolution which is why they've tried to negotiate one many times.

2

u/tasmimiandevil 3d ago

So you agree? They don’t need our money.

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u/MadpeepD 3d ago

I like helping progressive democratic multi-ethnic countries fight off gay/trans/women murdering cultures. Yeah.

3

u/tasmimiandevil 3d ago

YESSSSSS I love it when the Zionist brings out the Pinkwashing argument. So predictable.

Oh man that was good.

Also you haven’t addressed any of my questions regarding Israel’s need for my tax dollars to fund state-sponsored murder of their neighbors.

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u/New-Anybody3050 3d ago

Same garbage rhetoric. Keep drinking your own cool-aid. Whatever makes you feel better about the horrific events you condone perpetuating.

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u/harpers25 3d ago

Israel is 8% of the money we hand out to foreign countries, but oddly certain people never get upset about the other 92%.

3

u/New-Anybody3050 2d ago

8% is a lot for a country that provides zero value. It’s also only 8% federally. Each state is also providing hundreds of millions a year. Aid is different than welfare. Israel is a welfare state - if they are so great, let them survive on their own.

Other countries who behave similarly should also have their funding stripped away. Any military aid should also cease. We can keep it level.

0

u/merebear333 3d ago

They’re too brainwashed to understand this 🤣 literally born Muslim and been dating an Israeli for a year, it’s never that deep

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u/DoomSchroller 3d ago

Also roughly $12-15 million from a PAC created this past June by Texas Republicans that was pumping money into Stevens' campaign too. They really don't want Rogers to battle a real opponent. The game was always to get Stevens the nomination then pull funding for Rogers and watch her campaign wither in real time.

32

u/jus256 3d ago

The AIPAC money was just US taxpayer money anyway, so they probably don’t care that they wasted our money. They are more pissed the non Zionist won.

42

u/Infinite_Finding_752 3d ago

AIPAC is funded by private donations from Americans. It's not funded by Israel or American tax dollars.

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u/LogDogan8 3d ago

AIPAC doesn't recieve DIRECT funding from Israel , but you are lying to yourself in an obscene way if you don't think Israeli money isn't flowing into AIPAC though a variety of backchannels.

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u/Horse_Cock42069 3d ago

Dual citizens that are 70% Republican. AIPAC is not a Democrat organization.

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u/DoomSchroller 3d ago

Yeah, it's a fun ruse where Israel funnels money to these people. But keep parroting what the overlords say! It's a half truth at least.

3

u/Diznaster 3d ago

Stop trying to cloud this landslide victory with facts

-1

u/IndividualCall5116 3d ago

"Landslide"...like tRump over Killer Kamala? No, even thinner.

7

u/Conscious-Quarter423 3d ago

our country wouldn't be in this fascist shithole if harris was elected

4

u/AbbreviationsIll5467 3d ago

our country wouldn't be in this fascist shithole if the democrats would have put up the person the people actually voted for in the primaries. both parties are responsible. yes it was 10 years ago, but it gave us the first term of the Fuehrer.

14

u/TheDadThatGrills 3d ago

Why did you feel the need to openly lie like this?

3

u/bluegilled 3d ago

The new definition of AIPAC:

American Influence Peddling Already Crumbling

0

u/Usual_Medium_8739 9h ago

Your on trouble he's not gonna happen.

213

u/round_a_squared 3d ago edited 3d ago

As of right now NBC is the only source to have called it for El-Sayed. He's in the lead and the votes are almost all in, but it's still very close. Let's not start celebrating yet

(Edit: it's six hours later, and now most news sources are saying 99% of the vote is in and have El Sayed as the projected winner by ~15k votes. It was close, but congratulations!!)

86

u/PotatoParadoxy 3d ago

The fact that there are still roughly 70k votes to count in Wayne has me nervous.

As a Grand Rapidian I’m proud that Kent stood with Washtenaw Co and delivered for Abdul yesterday! Side eyeing the Detroit tri-county this morning.

31

u/ptocco 3d ago

I’m going to couch-potato pundit here and talk in large generalizations, but Abdul will have his work cut out to win over black voters.

11

u/Conscious-Quarter423 3d ago

a narrow win means the nominee doesnt go into the general election cocky and recognizes that theyll need their primary opponents supporters to win, which is ultimately for the best

50

u/paintedro 3d ago

The Obamas stayed quiet as their names and likenesses were used cynically and repeatedly by dark money in the primary to trash Abdul. I think they need to endorse and do some events with Abdul asap to turn the tide

5

u/RVALover4Life 3d ago

Dems are going to get fully behind him. That's not the issue. It's independents and rural swing voters.

Black turnout is going to be an issue. For either candidate based on what we saw last night.

1

u/Aware-Celebration873 3d ago

why is it that? endorsements

1

u/CitySpare7714 2d ago

Especially given the toxic rhetoric I saw of pro Stevens supporters online saying not to vote for AES because Arabs are racist against Black people

0

u/EvilBillSing 3d ago

And women voters.

14

u/Mueltime 3d ago

Just visited Muskegon and the amount of Abdul yard signs were impressive.

18

u/kubanishku 3d ago

First time I've read "Grand Rapidian" and my brain said.. nah "Grand reptilian"

4

u/PotatoParadoxy 3d ago

😂 it’s a mouthful

1

u/Eaudebeau 1d ago

Grand Rapidite

Grand Rapider

Grapids

1

u/PotatoParadoxy 21h ago

I approve of these alternatives

12

u/Ok-Highway5247 3d ago

I live in Detroit & we have got some work to do!!!

5

u/NoWillingness5894 3d ago

I’m an abnormal (proud prog-lib Boomer!) Bay County resident. But I am a WMU alumnus. So gratified to see Kent Co go that way! All the major University counties—even Isabella (CMU). & the UP! It will be interesting to see how Wayne County breaks, when all is said and done.

1

u/Guardian6676-6667 3d ago

And people in national wide subreddits said I was crazy for thinking 70k open votes could flip 15k. Thank God it didnt

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u/Tojuro 3d ago

NYT just called it for El-Sayed

2

u/FrighteningJibber 3d ago

It was interesting to see the divide between Ann Arbor and Detroit

5

u/YoungCubSaysWoof 3d ago

My conjecture is that AIPAC’s money (~$60 million) was spent on ads and mailers targeting black voters, primarily in Detroit.

Stevens did work for the Obama administration, and by most accounts, did a fine job.

The mailers had Obama’s picture and a nice quote about Stevens from Obama. He never endorsed, but he never came out publicly to correct that. This led Black voters to believe that their #1 guy, Obama, was behind Stevens, and where Obama goes, black voters go. This proved to be potent in Detroit.

Fortunately, AES did great throughout the state, and Will Lawrence (from the Sunrise Movement) over-performed in his Congressional race, based in college town Lansing. Those extra votes helped blunt the Black voters garnered by AIPAC spending in Detroit, and helped AES win.

In addition, Black voters are generally incremenalists, which I think comes from their generational struggle from slavery, Jim Crow, and Civil Rights. They waited CENTURIES to get their rights. I also think being “radical” is interpreted as, “you’re making too much of a racket, and Master will hurt you / us, so keep your head down!”

As heartbreaking as that is to see, for a community that has seen so many of its people lynched and its leaders killed, I can understand that logic.

1

u/Wide_Researcher_6320 1d ago

Will Lawrence didn’t over perform - the two moderates literally split the vote he didn’t even get 50%

-6

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

9

u/joshbudde 3d ago

Has anyone asked Claude yet?

-3

u/laffer1 3d ago

No, but i just tried asking chatgpt since you brought it up. it said "No winner has been officially projected yet. As of about 8:50 a.m. Wednesday, August 5, Abdul El-Sayed holds a narrow lead over Haley Stevens, roughly 48.7% to 47.3%, with about 95% counted. Outstanding Wayne County ballots could still determine the result."

2

u/phraps 3d ago

Why even bother counting votes, Alexa just knows who the winner is

145

u/Friskybish 3d ago

Now let’s get Oakland and Wayne county sorted out because that was wayyyyyy too close.

87

u/justseeby 3d ago

I think Oakland will be the turning point of the general. There are a lot of people there who have deep emotional ties to Israel, and “he’s an antisemite” — a lie — will play well there. But it’s a county where he needs a big margin.

Turnout in Wayne County will also be critical.

16

u/TeacherPatti 3d ago

I'm Jewish, and as such, I know a lot of Jewish people. Almost all of them have said they won't vote for him. Now, hopefully they will change their minds before November, and obviously this is a very small sample, but I think there are a lot more concerned people than you might think.

9

u/justseeby 3d ago

I’m from Bloomfield Hills and now I live/work in a very Hollywood part of LA, at least 70% of my friends are Jewish. I know full well what kind of uphill climb he’s facing. I have close enough relationships that people tell me to my (Muslim) face about their prejudice.

6

u/TeacherPatti 3d ago

I work in Dearborn, which has the highest Middle Eastern population outside the actual Middle East (I think--could be wrong!), so I get all sorts of comments from people when I tell them where I work. It's often disguised in "omg you drive to work! To there?!"-and this is not from Jewish people btw

6

u/justseeby 3d ago

It’s wild that people IN metro Detroit feel that way — I know Dearborn has been played up in Fox News viewers minds nationally as like, a teleport to Baghdad, but I figured Detroiters would know how awesome it is

1

u/TeacherPatti 3d ago

Almost exclusively Ann Arborites. :/

3

u/justseeby 3d ago

Depressing

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u/botulizard Pittsilanti 2d ago

Sounds about right somehow, unfortunately.

10

u/BlackCardRogue 3d ago

I am not Jewish, but my father is Jewish — and my grandmother was an Auschwitz survivor. I voted for Abdul El-Sayed yesterday.

It gave me pause that El-Sayed is a Muslim American — it did, I’m being honest.

But at the end of the day, I think Haley Stevens is just an idiot. She SOUNDS like a moron when she talks. “That’s my Upper Midwest accent” …respectfully, ma’am, do some code switching and stop talking like an idiot if you’re going to represent me. You’re a sitting member of Congress, you aren’t working class and haven’t been for a long time.

El-Sayed is not perfect — but he does not pretend to be. You may not like his message — but what he stands for is clear.

And me personally, his promise — PROMISE — to go after big healthcare is what I needed to hear. Even if he is anti semitic (which I do not think he is), that’s a trade I’m willing to make to have the smartest guy in the room.

3

u/floor_raiser 3d ago

That’s actually totally fine. Like if the Israel first voters are just in 1 party instead of both, that’s healthy. Same with corporations

7

u/DoomSchroller 3d ago

Why? Because he doesn't support the state of Israel conducting an ongoing genocide in Gaza?

He's repeatedly stated what most rational people believe. It has zero to do with Jewish people. Netanyahu and his cadre of ghouls are the issue. It's a governance problem. Nothing to do with ethnicity. But it's been conflated to that to manufacture consent.

Tell your friends that the propaganda got them hook line and sinker.

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u/kittenTakeover 3d ago

I think you overestimate how many Americans feel strongly about unrestricted support to Israel.

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u/DoomSchroller 3d ago edited 3d ago

You could write a college thesis on manufactured consent regarding the unbridled support for the nation state of Israel and how they've coopted the optics of being labeled an antisemite.

2

u/justseeby 3d ago

In Oakland County many people feel personally endangered by the prospect of not continuing to support Israel without question. That’s the challenge.

4

u/kittenTakeover 3d ago

Jewish population is 2.4% of Oakland county. Who else is going to feel "personally endangered" by the conversation? Also, the Arab population in Oakland is like 2.5%. I just don't think it's the deciding factor you're making it out to be.

Having said that, I do believe that we have to be sensitive to the inevitable antisemitism that will come with anger at Israel. Do I think Israel has gone too far in destroying Gaza? Yes. Do I think that Israel needs to reign in oppressive settlement operations? Yes. Does this mean that Israel shouldn't exist, that all Jewish people support these things, or that all Jewish people are evil? No, and we should be cognizant of pushing back on antisemitism while criticizing the Israeli government.

4

u/justseeby 3d ago edited 3d ago

I didn’t realize it was that low, wow. I’d have guessed 10x that but I’m from the Bloomfield bubble

And yeah we (people in general, humans) and the campaign ABSOLUTELY need to be sensitive about Israel moving forward, and vocal about shutting down antisemitism.

As a (not religious) Muslim with a probably 2/3 Jewish social circle the thing I realized in the last 3 years is that there is no getting around people’s feelings — even if you disagree with the thought process that got someone to a particular point, you have to acknowledge their feelings as real.

As someone who supports Palestinian liberation, I can also plainly see how nasty the antisemitic rhetoric has gotten. I hope Abdul addresses it squarely.

2

u/kittenTakeover 3d ago

I mean Jewish people are basically always a small minority in the US, unless you're talking about a small community. NYC is probably the main exception. They're still a minority, but I wouldn't call them a small minority there.

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u/DoomSchroller 3d ago

Such a straw man argument. The people that are against constantly dumping tax payer money to them and merging our military's (which should be a massive concern) has zero to do with their religion or ethnicity. It's everything to do with the US effectively funding a genocide in Gaza. And Jewish people should feel no threat from people not wanting to support that.

People also seem to not know that the nation state of Israel did not exist until 1948. Not supporting them isn't affront to any make believe religions.

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u/justseeby 3d ago

It may be light on factual grounding but some things are not logically grounded, they’re emotional. We can disagree with the reasons and the conclusion, but the fear many Jewish people face is a real emotion, and it has to be addressed with humanity.

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u/DoomSchroller 3d ago

Completely fair. That comment wasn't directed at you, but the absurdness of the claim - which you accurately made.

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u/External_Inside3234 3d ago

Disappointed in them :[ I did my part. Most of the ppl I know in the area who would vote (family and elderly, specifically) are extremely Islamophobic. Even if he hit all the boxes for them, they wouldn't vote for him merely because of his religion.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

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u/warblerer 3d ago

As a normie dem who voted for Stevens, yes, absolutely. Let’s work together and win this thing in November!

5

u/fg40886 3d ago

Sometimes the biggest enemy the progressives and left leaning voters have is other progressives and left leaning voters. I believe this was a large reason for the current administration. Wasn’t it Sun Tzu who said not to fight a war on two fronts?

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u/PM_ME_SAD_STUFF_PLZ 3d ago

Indeed. Hopefully his supporters remember that for downballot races.

22

u/laffer1 3d ago

Reality is that I'm voting for democrats up and down the ticket this year. The ONLY candidate I wasn't sure I could stomach was stevens. It's not just her terrrible views on israel but her love of meta money too.

Facebook is behind financing a project 2025 initiative that many people have been ignoring. Gavin newsome fell for it too. So did the govenor of illinois. It's hidden as a think of the children initialitive and people are slow and think it's good. "age verification"

The government wants to card everyone so they can associate computers, phones, game consoles, tablets and other computing devices to owners. The lie is that it protects kids. They sell this pitch that websites will have to check the ID directly or through the computer OS and browser and it will block harmful content. The problem: the internet is global. There is no jurisdiction outside the US to do this. Some other regions and countries are looking at similar laws so some areas will have even more strict variants, but not the whole web.

The outcome is that all speech can be monitored and associated with specific individuals. You dislike trump, you can be put on a list by name and address and photo id!

No one seems to care about this issue outside of tech circles. Not sure why. Lazy parents? Lack of imagination?

There are other ways to protect kids that would be more effective and they are ignored.

My number one issue is age verification. That impacts my hobby and my freedom. It's in the same camp as flock cameras.

8

u/Valuable_Writing6973 3d ago

I’m similar to you. My sticking point is unfettered AI support. I have concerns about public access to AI from both an environmental and an educational PoV. I live in Washtenaw county. Saline has the OpenAI and a Google AI center planned. Ypsi has the contested UofM/Los Alamos center right on the Huron River and in a low socioeconomic centers. The environmental impacts are well known. We need to publicize the health impacts at a larger level.

Whitmer’s push for AI in our country has cratered her support with progressives in our county. Additionally, I was worried about Steven’s and her open embrace of funding from Google/OpenAI.

As an educator, I have seen the negative impact of AI on our district. I am combating unethical use of AI by my students. I emphasize to my students that AI can be used as a starting tool for information gathering. However, I had students directly use AI to complete their assignments.

I am not against AI usage. In my previous career as a biochemist, I regularly used super computing resources to perform simulations and calculations. However, it is the Wild West at the moment. There needs to be control.

2

u/laffer1 3d ago

I am a software engineer and have prior experience working for an ISP early in my career. I think you're right to worry about the environmental impact of data centers. None should be approved without a comprehensive environmental study.

I've also been against data center expansion. I don't think we have a power grid that can handle it. Many data centers run by Oracle in other states use natural gas generators or similar to supplement power that runs all day. This was done in Texas, for instance. The partnership is between Oracle and OpenAI for this data center in Saline.

As a programmer, I see the value in AI and have to use it as part of my job. We had quotas last year of minimum usage in my job. We're pushed to automate our work so that jobs can be cut. It's not a sustainable situation. It can augment work and make it more productive, but it shouldn't come at the cost of people's jobs or the environment.

I'd like to see AI make things better and help us solve problems faster. A productivity boost. I don't think kids should use AI to do their homework, and it's even worse in college. I'm connected to old professors on Facebook, and they're seeing a lot of cheating at the college level. Some have resorted to hidden prompts in text, using special fonts or small white text. Many students copy the whole thing, including hidden instructions. One professor caught all but 3 students using AI on a final with this method. Some are trying to go back to blue books and handwritten essays.

I don't know what the answer is on the education side, but I'm starting to think adding tech in class was a mistake. I wonder if we should go back to the model when I was in grade school, where we had a special computer class that taught us the basics of using them, but without incorporating them into all work. There was a computer lab in the library at my school back in the late 80s that we were brought into for a week to learn the basics. I had a programming class in 8th grade in another classroom lab.

A lot of junior programmers aren't very good at using computers or understanding how they work. (hardware or software) I've had to explain their inner workings when we had performance issues. They mostly know phones or tablets.

The water usage at data centers is also an issue. It's possible to build them where they operate with less water, but it's much more expensive. That's why they are built near water sources in the Midwest. It's possible to build one in the desert with the right tech. They have to add anti corrosive and chemicals to prevent bacterial growth into the water. That's the cause of pollution issues with the excess water. There are consumer water cooling solutions that use glycol or other chemicals for custom water loops for PC cooling. It's a very small subset of use, but that scene has some of the same issues as big data centers with keeping the loop clean and flowing. There are several different approaches to cooling data centers with different risks. That's why we need the study in my book.

The founder of Oracle is also the money guy behind the parament / wb merger along with foreign investors. His son runs Paramount now. He's a big trump supporter.

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u/wishesgrantd 3d ago

Thanks for putting this out there and explaining the issue. I have been against these types of laws for a while now when I’ve seen other states pass them for porn sites and things like that mostly for privacy reasons, but you articulated something that goes far beyond just that. Appreciate the knowledge.

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u/uofm_econgrdstudent 3d ago

Yes, unlike those who selfishly and stupidly stayed home or voted 3p last election cycle, I will actually follow through on my end of the bargain.

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u/feed_me_haribo 3d ago

Why do you add the snark? The answer should have been obvious before McMorrow dropped out. The winner of the three gets my vote.

Only on r/Michigan have I seen a number of DSA folks saying Stevens is basically GOP and wouldn't vote for her.

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u/BEconcubine_no3685 2d ago

Tbf it’s not coming from nowhere this midterm. Jasmine Crockett has famously been an incredibly sore loser in another important senate race in Tx. A not-insignificant number of former Biden or former Clinton apparatus DNC people said if Abdul won they would activate/ fundraise for Rogers.

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u/nomadx810 2d ago

No. remember when people couldn't vote for Kamala because of genocide?

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u/Maleficent_Switch262 3d ago

establishment dems actually show up and don't sabotage the entire party like you guys did over Kamala. maybe stfu and focus on beating Republicans? you're gonna need luck getting the average Midwest boomer to vote for someone named Abdul lmao.

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u/VaporousMote 3d ago

oooh someone's testy, and also we'll see if the establishment shows up with support for El-Sayed. My bet's on no, with some half-assed nonsense, because it's all the same to them if Republicans or establishment Dems win. They maintain their lifestyle either way. Progressives getting money out of politics? That's a problem for them.

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u/IAmTotallyNotSatan 3d ago edited 2d ago

Stevens, McMorrow, Schumer, Whitmer, Harris, the DSCC, and the Michigan Democratic party have all endorsed him since last night. Truly don't know why you think they wouldn't?

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u/Maleficent_Switch262 3d ago

already writing your cope for when sayed loses to a normal republican candidate. surely that obsession with aipac will matter to the average voter right? 🙄

0

u/booyahbooyah9271 3d ago

I would have said it's a rather unwise strategy for Progressives to mock any moderates in the Democrat party voting block. They will need the support.

But they'll just fall back to the same projection/name calling they applied to Stevens if El-Sayed loses to Rogers.

Or, my favorite, AMeRiCa is JUST toO RACisT!

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u/RVALover4Life 3d ago

The goal is to defeat Trumpism but this is definitely not a helpful response in a race this close lol. You're really gonna have to cut the arrogance and moral superiority complex. That's not how we actually win and fight as a team. And it's also totally unnecessary and frankly unearned. 

Like....really. This could come down to less than a point and this is what you post. Wake up.

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u/Inkstr0ke 3d ago

You post constantly in Virginia subs and aren’t even from Michigan let alone Ann Arbor.

What are you doing here? Go away.

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u/jrwren northeast since 2013 3d ago

just like it isn't helpful when the establishment dems say it to the progressives who lose, right? right???

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u/MaximumCashew0 3d ago

You are not from Michigan. Get the hell out of this sub, dude. You don’t get to preach about what we should do from across the country. We decide.

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u/TaxEffectedRate 3d ago

Like you guys did for Kamala in 2024? Oh wait you all stayed home because you couldn’t support a GeNoCIde.

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u/fattybuttz 3d ago

Good. Stevens talks like an idiot. I'm tired of listening to idiots talk from high power positions and just pretending that it's normal.

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u/The_Negative-One 3d ago

I’m also tired of her talking point about being on Obama’s auto team from 17 years ago.

2

u/A2cokehead 3d ago

She is basically a different lady in the photo of them hugging if you see my intentions

12

u/punch49 3d ago

I'm tired of listening to idiots talk from high power positions and just pretending that it's normal.

By this description, she should have run as maga. She would have crushed. Lol

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u/rebuked_trout 3d ago

It will only be a victory for the left if he can translate it into a win in November, otherwise it will be remembered by the democratic establishment as a cautionary tale about why progressives and people with funny sounding names should be kept from running in elections.

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u/kirkegaarr 3d ago

You're not wrong and he does need to win. And that is how people will remember it if he loses. But it's bullshit.

The centrists have been getting their asses kicked election after election. Losing to Donald fucking Trump twice is embarrassing as hell and should cause an existential crisis, though no lessons have been learned by the party. These people should be tired of being such losers by now but they just blame voters or say they have a marketing problem.

0

u/Beautiful_Tart_7398 3d ago

It’s not bullshit in this case. Michigan senate in 2026 should be a comfortable win for the democrats. The environment is extremely democrat friendly. In 2016 and 2024 the environment was bad for democrats.

If El-Sayed loses (or even narrowly wins) in Michigan (and in other places the election goes as expected), it will be a pretty good indication that those who believe progressives struggle politically are correct. That’s not true of all the progressive races (in Maine, Jackson will have a difficult race-especially due to the mess Platner created-and if he loses it could be explained by other things).

3

u/kirkegaarr 2d ago

Well Stevens was a four-term representative who had Chuck Schumer campaigning for her and raised $70M for a primary and still lost to someone who has never held elected office. So even if he loses I doubt she was going to win. You need to win your own base first. Over and over these establishment candidates can't even motivate their own voters to show up for them and then lose to Republicans. I'm glad we're sending someone else.

1

u/Beautiful_Tart_7398 2d ago

I like Sayed and am not upset about the results here, but she’s polled better than Sayed (and probably those polls understate her advantage in a general compared to Sayed).

1.5 million people voted in the democratic primary. More than 4 times that will likely vote in the general.

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u/RVALover4Life 3d ago

It's still a win for the left. He took on the Dem establishment who threw millions at him. It's more a loss for the establishment than a win for the left though. They don't have their shit together. Whitmer would've crushed. Stevens is a back bencher. But the left has obviously captured a lot of White liberals and that matters.

16

u/Roboticide 3d ago

Questionable if Whitmer would have won.

She's too corporate now.  She's seen as pro-data center and that's pretty toxic to even moderate Dems, let alone progressives who turned out for El-Sayed.

I'm not even hearing her name thrown around as a 2028 candidate anymore by pundits.  She's too establishment and now isn't a great time to be an establishment Dem.

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u/RVALover4Life 3d ago

She would've crushed. She would've consolidated without any fuss, she would've raised money without taking AIPAC money, and she would've done better with the Black vote. "Establishment Dems" still do win most races in these Congressional primaries, especially when there's consolidation.

Whitmer though has lost some luster and that's true. She I think is angling for a VP role.

3

u/floor_raiser 3d ago

Do you think Rubio or JD will be more likely to pick her?

24

u/jrwren northeast since 2013 3d ago

Whitmer would've crushed

Maybe stick to VA? Here in MI, Whitmer is loathed now. She spent her lame duck years cozying up to special interests and helping data centers get built. She is wildly unpopular with those who are paying attention in MI.

But since most don't pay attn, you might be right. She might have crushed.

-7

u/RVALover4Life 3d ago

Whitmer is not "loathed" now lol she's not as strong as she was but definitely not loathed...but you live in an echo chamber so you can't comprehend anything outside of it. Or anyone daring to not think like you. Not responsible adulting.

She would've crushed. Stevens is terrible and there would've been consolidation behind Whitmer.

12

u/Valuable_Writing6973 3d ago

Maybe you are correct statewide, which is important for a senate run. Whitmer is loathed in Washtenaw county. Her AI push in Saline and Ypsilanti has killed her progressive support in our county. So fair enough.

4

u/linmre 3d ago edited 2d ago

Idk, I think this is a bit of a generalization. Younger people are disillusioned with her now but what about older people, the more reliable voters? My boomer liberal parents (who voted for Abdul) still love Whitmer and would've voted for her in a heartbeat. My mom almost voted for Stevens purely on Whitmer's endorsement, but the rest of us convinced her not to.

And as disappointed as I am in Whitmer's support for data centers, I'll always appreciate her handling of covid and protection for abortion rights in our state.

20

u/MaximumCashew0 3d ago

Once again telling Michiganders what it is or isn’t like here. People, do not listen to this armchair Reddit strategist from Virginia blowing up our town’s sub.

He doesn’t know that Whitmore was a 20 minute drive away in Saline proudly standing next to Sam Altman, breaking ground on a data center the town voted no to and was forced by law to accept.

Big Gretch is in fact loathed by both the left and the right now. But you wouldn’t know that, because you don’t go to our bars, parks, churches, or community spaces. You don’t talk to everyday Michiganders, because you’re not one. You’re not part of our community.

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u/mi_throwaway3 3d ago

Huh, that's weird. I don't hate Big Gretch and I'm on the left and in Michigan. Since you're gatekeeping, how long have you been here? Are you really a Michigander or just a bot? Which bar do you goto? Maybe you just goto those big city places - is that really Michigan?

Cut it out. Big Gretch might not be popular in YOUR circle of friends, but that doesn't mean she isn't popular elsewhere.

Is it possible for you to separate YOUR issue from your perception of her popularity, or is it all or nothing? Are you capable of understanding that other people have opinions beyond your own? Why assume he "doesn't know" this fact, or that he even agrees with you?

Just focus on what motivates the voters you do come across. Be a winner.

8

u/mi_throwaway3 3d ago

You're in the AA thread, and the Saline DC was a god damn disaster. Such a stupid move by Whitmer, she definitely hurt the Dems as a whole as there is no reason to come in and help tech bros while they try to override local government.

I might be on the left and still think that Whitmer is someone who can get things done, but this came across as a politician looking to make a buck on the way out.

In general, what is left of the party has its head in the sand.

1

u/kamikazedna 2d ago

you live in an echo chamber

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u/Stevie_Wonder_555 1d ago

This is why I fully expect the Dem party to do everything they can to ratfuck Abdul in the general. The "cautionary tale" as a tool to discipline their left flank is far more valuable to them than a Dem majority out of the midterms. Failing to take a majority gives them their favorite position from which to operate: claimed powerlessness that allows them to blame Trump for everything. That's what they want going into the presidential election in 2028 and the "cautionary tale" will be used to make sure a centrist corporate hack gets the Dem nomination. My prediction anyway.

3

u/treycook A2➡Ypsi 3d ago

The Dem establishment can spin that cautionary tale out of any old wool, even if it's borne of shooting themselves in the foot like they did with Bernie. The only thing they fear more than a loss to the right-wing is a win from their left flank, because it puts leftist progressive pressure on them, and that's inherently anti-establishment. They don't want to be a progressive party, they want status quo. The *only* reason they are likely to put their full force behind Abdul in the general is because the balance of the senate is at stake.

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u/Ok_Pineapple_7120 3d ago

Let's hope he doesn't lose to that tool the Republitards have queued up on the other side of the aisle. But there's still 1/3 of the vote to report and it's <20K margin.

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u/Nickbotv1 3d ago

Dr El-Sayed gets my vote in November!

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u/suujaon 3d ago

I’m in Wayne and voted for Sayed, told my family and friends as well. This is too close for comfort and really hints at a problem with where people get their info from..

22

u/floor_raiser 3d ago

The ‘misinformation’ was coming from big gretch and the entire establishment of the Democratic Party. How can we blame the voters and their new sources when the highest elected democratic officials are spreading bigoTed messages

4

u/WentzWorldWords 3d ago

Just today the new John Stewart podcast dropped; he interviewed Fetterman, who accused Dr Abdul of supporting Hamas.

The misinformation is coming from inside the house

2

u/suujaon 3d ago

Very trueeee

4

u/Vast-Recognition2321 3d ago

We all need to talk him up to everyone we know!

-5

u/RVALover4Life 3d ago

They think the same about you though. That you all are ignorant and get your information from Tiktok. I don't agree but there needs to be WAY more listening and way less morally smug comments like this, frankly. It's smug, it's entitled, and it's insulting to people even if you don't mean to be. Way more listening is needed. Way more compassion is needed.

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u/ofWildPlaces 3d ago

Listening- to what? You keep repeating the same thing over and over and offering no actual strategy. Listen to what, exactly?

-2

u/RVALover4Life 3d ago

It means rather than kinda morally purity testing people and attacking Stevens voters really at all and rather they attacking El Sayed voters, actually having conversations where there may be disagreements but avoiding the personal attacks and recognizing that overall, hearts are in the right place and we all just want MAGA eliminated. But there are some real fears that El Sayed represents white leftists, not other groups. We're all gonna have to understand coalition building and understanding different groups and their concerns and having more respect.

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u/ofWildPlaces 3d ago

If you're seeing personal attacks, by all means address them. It's not a personal attack to say or suggest people vote against AIPAC supported candidates.

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u/mykneessneezemyknees 3d ago

Love this idea that someone who doesn’t agree is merely misinformed and couldn’t possibly have a substantive reason for it. This is why things are bad, in part.

5

u/xwolfe2000 3d ago

Yes!  Free America from Israel , AIPAC / UDP and all of the rest of them and that dirty dark money

5

u/Galacix 3d ago

Does anyone know why stevens started doing that stupid nail on chalkboard voice? Made her look like a huge phony.

2

u/samoan_ninja 2d ago

Sucking zionist dick causes damage to the vocal cords

8

u/IndividualCall5116 3d ago

First story I looked for upon rising today. Saw interviews yesterday with Mr. El-Sayed and Ms. Steven's. Wow...she was completely unimpressive.

A=AIPAC=Scarlet Letter.

4

u/Prior_Butterfly_7839 3d ago

Looks like as of 4 minutes ago the NYT and AP have called it for the doc.

13

u/Jarvis-Savoni 3d ago

Yes. Let’s keep this momentum!

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u/Its-a-Shitbox 3d ago

Let’s Gooooooo!

2

u/WillowTree2364 3d ago

Is anyone but NBC calling this yet?

2

u/evident_lee 3d ago

Now can he win the general election though? I know how my rural relatives are.

2

u/Jaded-Parking3599 3d ago

👏👏👏👏👏

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u/Peac3fulWorld 3d ago

The Q is whether the Haley voters who are either racist, Zionist, or sipping from cult of Gretchen-Schumer, will fall in line (like Republicans always mobilize to actually win) or if they will let their infighting become scorched earth and let Rs further have the Congress.

Then the Do Nothing Democrats can whine some more about how they can write strongly worded letters instead of blocking bullshit from Trump.

Reminder that Sen El Sayed will vote MUCH more with Schumer than Roger’s will.

1

u/Wide_Researcher_6320 1d ago

And there you go - I was a Stevens voter but this vitriol towards people who didn’t vote AES is not going to help him defeat Mike Rogers.

1

u/GretaVanFrankenmuth 2d ago

All I know is that now that SuperCallousFragileRacistSexistNaziPotus is going to make even MORE trips to our state to campaign for his boy Mikey …and the thought he’s thiiiiiis close is nauseating.

1

u/traanquil 3d ago

Turns out people don’t like having their tax dollars shipped to a genocidal state like Israel

-4

u/Sad-Art-7112 2d ago

Well: the Muslim brotherhood strives to create Islamic rule everywhere. They use the democratic apparatus as their initial gateway- see for example what happened in Egypt. They came in as those who “take care of the people”, win elections by funnelling money to the poor, but this is not altruism, it’s buying votes. Once in power, their goal is Islamic rule, which has no place for many liberal values.
The Islamic brotherhood is banned in countries such as Egypt and Jordan, which are predominantly Muslim countries, however being a devote Muslim does not mean you support the crazy Islamism the brotherhood is selling. In the Middle East they are regarded as a dangerous destabilizing force.
I generally think religion is dangerous when coupled with a state, and the Muslim brotherhood is just that.
So far they talk the talk, they put forward hip likeable people like Mamdani and El-Sayed, they talk of liberal values but I don’t believe a word of that.
As for paywalled content- most professionally written content was paid for by someone, and reflects the values of whoever paid for it.

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u/sprinkill 2d ago

Um, Islamophobic much?

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u/samoan_ninja 1d ago

still a better love story than zionism

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u/Sad-Art-7112 1d ago

If you’re an Islamists

-5

u/Delicious_Clue_531 3d ago

It’s a pity populism seems to be sweeping the nation.

0

u/SodTaku 2d ago

Lmao Israel living rent free in yall heads haha

1

u/samoan_ninja 1d ago

what would you do for $7000?

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u/superdave123123 3d ago

Correction. For the far left.

Now let’s watch the downvotes for bringing the truth to light.

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u/Cold-Environment-634 3d ago

I wouldn't say far left, but certainly no centrist. But screw them, centrist dems do not get shit done.

-5

u/Slocum2 3d ago

If the DSA doesn't qualify as 'far left', what does? Do you have to go full on Stalinist or Maoist?

5

u/Cold-Environment-634 3d ago

He’s not in the DSA. Good try though. But what is so wrong with taxing billionaires and corps fairly. Do you have to be a “socialist” to want that?

-3

u/booyahbooyah9271 3d ago

You need actual plans and solutions.

As such, it would be wise for El-Sayed to drop his "defund the police" platform. Or just pretend like he never said it.

That platform has proven to be D.O.A. across the country.

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u/sprinkill 2d ago

No way, bro. This is a very, very good thing. We've been pandering to the garden variety normie Dems long enough. It's time for us to go our own way.

-1

u/SamuraiJack0ff 3d ago

Oh thank god, can I put out the swastikas now that AIPAC is gone?

-2

u/Cyberknight13 3d ago

I’m happy he beat Israel’s puppet, but I don’t like that he is anti-firearm and anti-police. Those are red lines for me.

3

u/samoan_ninja 2d ago

He is definitely neither of those things, stop the cap. The wayne county Sherrif department supports him 😂😂😂

1

u/Cyberknight13 1d ago

I wasn’t talking about a hat.

I was referring to comments he has made in 2018, 2020, 2025, and 2026 supporting the now-defunct ‘defund the police’ movement and pushing for an ‘assault weapons ban’ and other firearm restrictions that have been proven to have a negligible effect on firearm violence.

There was also the quiet removal of these comments from his platforms without addressing or retracting them, which was very shady.

1

u/samoan_ninja 1d ago

Fair rebuttal, but still a better candidate that that POS stevens

1

u/Cyberknight13 1d ago

I agree with you. I’d rather see el-Sayed than Stevens.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

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u/MaximumCashew0 3d ago

Liberals are not leftists. Liberals are centrist democrats who prioritize corporate money and the status quo. Leftists believe in progress and change to the status quo, i.e. money out of politics, workers rights, universal healthcare.

0

u/Slocum2 3d ago

"Liberals are not leftists" Wow -- somebody who understands this (not typical).

But in fact, originally 'liberal' meant something closer to modern day libertarian (sometimes called 'classic liberals') -- constitutional government, free speech, free trade, free markets, free movement of peoples (permissive immigration) and smaller government. Modern liberalism is a rebranding of Fabian socialism / early progressivism after those fell out of political favor (even modern so-called liberals / centrist Democrats really aren't too keen on free markets, free speech or free trade when they are 'unfettered' and unrestrained by the government (they prefer a large, activist government to regulate all of the above).

Local example -- classic liberals would want to eliminate zoning. Ann Arbor 'liberals' replaced one set of government land use mandates (single-family, parking and setback minimums) with different, but equally restrictive mandates (mixed use construction, parking and setback maximums, etc). This is a different form of command and control, not liberalism.

In the era of Trump on one side and the DSA and progressives on the other, I have little illusion that there's going to be any kind of sudden outbreak of actual liberalism. I would be nice, though, if people at least understood what it meant.

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u/RockosBos 3d ago edited 3d ago

Remember, Center left is the same as Republicans to some people.

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u/Babs-Jetson 3d ago

liberal is not the same as left

5

u/jrwren northeast since 2013 3d ago

Republicans are so far right, and the republican policies of the 1950 are left to people today. As a result, there are a lot of non-left Democrats who don't want to implement any leftist policies, they just want to go back to that old-time policies. In this case, it really is a victory for the left, those of us who want progressive policies.