Michigan's Critical Senate Race Is Still Too Close to Call

Moderate candidate US Rep. Haley Stevens and progressive favorite Abdul El-Sayed were in a tight race for Michigan's Democratic US Senate nomination in the early morning hours of Wednesday. Both addressed supporters, saying the vote count could continue well into the day. "We knew that this was going to be a close race, and that's exactly what we've got," Stevens said, per the AP. "I am feeling fired up, and you should be too." The bitter and expensive campaign attracted national attention not just because the general election for the seat will help decide which party controls the Senate. It also became the most notable proxy battle between the Democratic Party's establishment and progressive wings.

Candidates from the left-flank—including democratic socialists—have found surprising success in the party's US House primaries, including in New York and Denver. Those races, however, were in deep-blue cities. Michigan has a purple hue. A progressive victory here would be a more significant notch. El-Sayed maintained a lead as initial results rolled in Tuesday night, though Stevens made up ground as Wayne County, the state's most populous and home to Detroit, reported more votes into the night. Wayne has historically released results later than other counties, and its voters have tended toward establishment candidates over progressives. That meant Stevens could see a boost as the counting dragged on, though that did not guarantee victory.

The crowds' energy at each watch party was a measure of the race's competitiveness: Early in the evening, El-Sayed's supporters in Detroit's Majestic Theatre cheered at the first batches of votes, before mellowing. Hours later, Stevens' previously subdued partygoers roared as she narrowed the margin. "Whatever happens tonight," El-Sayed told a thinned but still energetic crowd, "we have a responsibility to ensure that we unite, unite to make sure that Mike Rogers never sees the inside of the US Senate." El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, campaigned on "Medicare for All," campaign finance reform and ending military aid to Israel. Stevens, a four-term congresswoman, focused on manufacturing and the economy. She stressed her past victories in tough races, saying she would be best positioned to beat Rogers.