(AURN News) — There’s a new name to know in the fight for the U.S. Senate: Abdul El-Sayed.
Michigan Democrats handed him the nomination over four-term Rep. Haley Stevens in a primary decided by less than 1 percentage point. The margin says everything about how divided the party’s base is right now.
Younger, more progressive voters lined up behind El-Sayed, while established figures such as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer backed Stevens in the campaign’s final stretch.
Money did not decide the race, despite the record outside spending. Outside groups poured tens of millions of dollars into the race to boost Stevens, but El-Sayed won anyway.
The outcome carries significance beyond Michigan. The result is being viewed nationally as a sign of growing grassroots energy within the Democratic Party’s progressive wing.
El-Sayed now moves on to face Republican Mike Rogers in November in a contest both parties view as pivotal to control of the Senate.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
