Another blow to Israel — Abdul Al-Said leads in a major state

In Michigan's Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate, progressive candidate Abdul Al-Said, who criticizes Israel, is leading. With 92.9% of votes counted, he has 48.7%, while his rival Haley Stevens has 47.3%. NBC has declared Al-Said the winner. The race is seen as a test for the party ahead of the November midterms.

In the state of Michigan, vote counting continues in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat, where progressive candidate Abdul Al-Said is leading. After counting 92.9% of the votes, Al-Said received 48.7%, while his opponent, moderate and pro-Israel candidate Haley Stevens, got 47.3%. Despite the narrow margin, NBC has already declared Al-Said the winner, noting that the remaining votes are insufficient to change the outcome. This primary is seen as an important test of the direction the Democratic Party will take ahead of the upcoming elections, including the November midterm congressional elections. The race between Al-Said and Stevens is part of a broader trend: in recent months, progressive candidates critical of Israel have won local elections in the U.S., strengthening the party's left wing. Unlike previous wins in traditionally Democratic states like New York and California, Michigan is a swing state where Donald Trump won two years ago. Republican Mike Rogers, whom Al-Said will face in the general election, previously lost here by only about 20,000 votes. During the campaign, Stevens enjoyed support from moderate party members and pro-Israel organizations, including AIPAC, which invested about $32 million in her support. Her campaign's total budget reached $62.2 million, while Al-Said's campaign was limited to $2.1 million. Al-Said himself criticized his opponent, calling her a "walking suit with a thick AIPAC bank account." The issue of attitudes toward Israel became central to this campaign. Stevens stated her support for Israel and military aid, while also advocating for a two-state solution and asserting that Prime Minister Netanyahu "poses a danger to Jews in the U.S. and worldwide." Al-Said, in turn, regularly accuses Israel of "apartheid" and "genocide," demands an end to all aid, and claims that Israel's existence as a Jewish state "completely contradicts liberal values." Al-Said's campaign also became embroiled in scandal after the arrest of his former staffer, 24-year-old Miriam Odeh from Dearborn, accused of participating in a campaign of threats against Jewish representatives at the University of Michigan and the Jewish Federation of Detroit. According to authorities, she and seven others are accused of threatening to kill Jews. Al-Said himself said that "harming people and property is wrong," but also claimed that pro-Palestinian activists are persecuted for their political views. He also urged supporters to "strike at Trumpism," saying: "Tomorrow we will begin healing wounds. Whatever the result today, we have a duty to unite so that Mike Rogers never again sits in the U.S. Senate." Stevens, in turn, told supporters: "If we are going to win, and we will win, we need to prepare and show Mike Rogers where the fish pees." Al-Said, a physician and epidemiologist, previously headed the Wayne County health department and ran for governor of Michigan in 2018, losing in the primary. Among supporters, he has earned the nickname "Obama of Michigan." In his speeches, he stated: "If you are a child who breathed air from a factory smokestack, I am not dangerous. If you are a person drowning in medical debt, I am not dangerous. But if you are a big corporation or AIPAC, you should beware — I am dangerous."