{"id":2271,"date":"2026-08-05T18:41:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T18:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=2271"},"modified":"2026-08-05T18:41:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T18:41:31","slug":"michigan-hands-the-democratic-establishment-another-brutal-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=2271","title":{"rendered":"Michigan Hands the Democratic Establishment Another Brutal Loss"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Democrats will remember 2026 as the year their party\u2019s establishment lost its once total control of the primary process.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=2269\">Rep. Shri Thanedar Loses Reelection Bid to DSA-Backed Challenger<\/a><\/p><p>Instead, it was outmaneuvered and overwhelmed by a progressive insurgency whose chosen candidates, backed by a furious liberal base, smashed their way to victories.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a low point for the center-left that Democratic leaders can climb out of, party strategists say, but only with a radical readjustment of how they operate.<\/p><p>The result of Michigan\u2019s Senate Democratic primary Tuesday \u2014 in which outspoken progressive Abdul El-Sayed <span><u>defeated<\/u><\/span> establishment-backed Rep. Haley Stevens \u2014 was arguably the sharpest blow yet. Stevens lost despite having a huge cash advantage, outspending him 11-to-1 in ads, and running a playbook that had worked for moderate candidates for years, including during Hillary Clinton\u2019s and Joe Biden\u2019s presidential campaigns. El-Sayed winning only narrowly, despite his own campaign\u2019s expectations of a blowout victory, just poses more questions of what if anything the party establishment could\u2019ve done differently to head off the rising left.<\/p>\n<section>\n<div>\n<h2>\n<span>Trending<\/span>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Kevin Warsh\" class=\"wp-image-2254\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/e2636dc6d5ff33ab0850d186b22ef2d6-768x512.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/e2636dc6d5ff33ab0850d186b22ef2d6-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/e2636dc6d5ff33ab0850d186b22ef2d6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/e2636dc6d5ff33ab0850d186b22ef2d6.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><h3>\n<span>\n                      The Key Economic Warning Sign That Could Upend the Midterms\n                    <\/span>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Trump.250.flag\" class=\"wp-image-2262\" height=\"527\" src=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a0a9ef4e7189ed70d0300ca35c5159a8-768x527.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a0a9ef4e7189ed70d0300ca35c5159a8-768x527.jpg 768w, https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a0a9ef4e7189ed70d0300ca35c5159a8-300x206.jpg 300w, https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a0a9ef4e7189ed70d0300ca35c5159a8.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><h3>\n<span>\n                      Freedom 250 Sponsors Failed to Disclose Donations \u2014 A Potential Lobbying Law Violation\n                    <\/span>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Election 2026 Michigan Abdul El-Sayed\" class=\"wp-image-2070\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1f2ddf7a4533d6e0aeae92be6d7a8240-768x512.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1f2ddf7a4533d6e0aeae92be6d7a8240-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1f2ddf7a4533d6e0aeae92be6d7a8240-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1f2ddf7a4533d6e0aeae92be6d7a8240.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><h3>\n<span>\n<u>Dana Milbank:<\/u> I Was Prepared to Dislike Abdul El-Sayed. Then I Came to Michigan and Spoke to Him.\n                    <\/span>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Rand Paul Fauci\" class=\"wp-image-2219\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ef565449a5ad590c0d851cfa36e44e15-768x512.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ef565449a5ad590c0d851cfa36e44e15-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ef565449a5ad590c0d851cfa36e44e15-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ef565449a5ad590c0d851cfa36e44e15.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><h3>\n<span>\n                      Rand Paul\u2019s Fauci Diary Dump Exposed Peoples\u2019 Medical Histories\n                    <\/span>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>The choice to support Stevens was emblematic of a larger problem with how party leaders anoint candidates, said some Democratic strategists, and a failure to properly understand just how angry their own party\u2019s voters were with the old way of conducting politics.<\/p><p>\u201cThey value seniority over talent, a fundraising rolodex over ability to make genuine voter connections, institutional comfort over the anger and change that voters are actually demanding,\u201d said Lis Smith, a veteran Democratic strategist who worked for a candidate in the race <span><u>who dropped out<\/u><\/span>, Mallory McMorrow. \u201cIf you put up establishment slop against DSA candidates who may have bad ideas but are exciting and speak to the anger of American voters, Democratic voters are going to choose DSA and far-left candidates, until we get our act together.\u201d<\/p><p>Democratic voters, said another party strategist, were \u201cshouting from the rooftops\u201d about their anger.<\/p><p>\u201cIf we don\u2019t actually respect and respond to this frustration, we\u2019re gonna wind up with heads in a basket,\u201d said the party operative, granted anonymity to speak candidly.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic Party leaders counter that they have mostly gotten their way in primaries this year and more importantly, could be poised for a big midterm election in November in part because of successful candidate recruitment. Democratic Senate candidates from Texas to North Carolina lead in public polling as President Donald Trump\u2019s approval rating sags to all-time lows. Gas prices are still high, and voters say they\u2019re still feeling the cost-of-living pinch. Those environmental factors have put not just the House in play but also the Senate, an unlikely possibility just two years ago.<\/p><p>Both the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee quickly rallied around El-Sayed after his win. DSCC chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Democratic Senate leader Sen. Chuck Schumer said in a <span><u>statement<\/u><\/span> that El-Sayed had \u201cinspired thousands of Michiganders\u201d and that the party is united behind him.<\/p><p>But Tuesday\u2019s result in Michigan was only the latest setback for Democrats in Washington this year. In June, Maine Gov. Janet Mills lost her primary race <span><u>in an embarrassing landslide<\/u><\/span> to political newcomer Graham Platner, despite an endorsement from the DSCC. (Platner later <span><u>exited the race<\/u><\/span>.) Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado failed to clinch his gubernatorial race, which revolved around his <span><u>closeness to Washington leadership<\/u><\/span>.<\/p><p>The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee <span><u>has lost three races<\/u><\/span> in California, Arizona and Maine, where it spent money on its preferred candidate. The party has also seen progressive candidates win some House races in which the party establishment split its support among multiple candidates. That happened again on Tuesday night in Michigan, where progressive activist Will Lawrence beat two moderates in a swing district.<\/p><p>And a handful of incumbent Democratic House members, from <span><u>Colorado<\/u><\/span> to <span><u>New York<\/u><\/span>, have lost their reelection races to Democratic Socialists of America-affiliated candidates, a rarity in a party that traditionally has valued its incumbents.<\/p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s not the end of the center-left, but they need to do a better job of consolidating earlier rather than letting multiple go in the same lane,\u201d said Kevin McKeon, a Democratic strategist who works on Senate and House races.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, establishment Democrats still have successes to claim this cycle. Of the 13 candidates on the DCCC\u2019s coveted Red to Blue endorsement list, 10 have won their respective primaries. The DSCC recruited former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown and former Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola into their respective Senate races without any incident, instantly putting the trio of states into play. In Iowa, the establishment-backed candidate, state Rep. Josh Turek, also won a contested primary.<\/p><p>That\u2019s something DSCC aides are all too happy to point out.<\/p><p>\u201cSenate Democrats created a path to win a majority thanks to all-star candidate recruitment, formidable campaigns, and a winning message,\u201d Tommy Garcia, a DSCC spokesperson, said in a statement. \u201cDemocratic candidates are out-polling and out-raising their Republican opponents, and in November we will win the majority \u2014 which no one thought was possible a year ago.\u201d<\/p><p>Democrats are even more bullish on taking the House majority than the Senate, in part because of investments in many key races.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=2265\">Trump\u2019s Helicopter Involved in Air-Traffic Safety Incident<\/a><\/p><p>\u201cEveryone agrees that the stakes could not be higher for November,\u201d Viet Shelton, a DCCC spokesperson, said in a statement. \u201dThe DCCC is doing everything possible to ensure Democrats win the biggest majority possible and Congress can actually deliver for the American people again. Every poll is proving we are (still) well positioned to do just that.\u201d<\/p><p>Center-left Democrats are quick to point to November as the ultimate scorecard for the wings of the party.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s worth remembering,\u201d said a Democratic consultant granted anonymity to discuss the issue candidly, that progressive won primaries in Omaha, Nebraska, and Syracuse, New York, a pair of battleground House districts. But Democrats \u201cwent on to win the majority in 2018 without winning either of the Omaha or Syracuse seats.\u201d<\/p><p>Some Democratic leaders expressed optimism that the party losing some primaries was ultimately good \u2014 that it could help expose leaders in Congress to new ideas and energy.<\/p><p>\u201cI actually think this is a healthy debate to have,\u201d said Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who has endorsed candidates running against the party establishment this year and previously served as the chair of both the DCCC and DSCC. \u201cI think we need this kind of churning in the Democratic Party.\u201d<\/p><p>Even so, party leaders have problems beyond this year\u2019s primaries. Schumer has faced calls from some candidates and activists to step aside, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been on the receiving end of frustration from some activists and candidates. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin has been beset by crises since taking over last year, dogged by controversy over the party\u2019s fundraising tactics and a botched 2024 autopsy report.<\/p><p>And Michigan isn\u2019t the last crucial test the party will face this primary cycle. In Wisconsin, a democratic socialist candidate <span><u>is favored to win<\/u><\/span> the gubernatorial primary next week, in part because other Democratic candidates failed to consolidate support or gain traction.<\/p><p>\u201cSince I\u2019ve been paying attention to politics, the Democratic Party has never been as weak and unpopular as it is now,\u201d said Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, a liberal grassroots group. \u201cAnd I think that\u2019s just an empirical fact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Levin has been critical of Democratic Party leadership since Trump\u2019s inauguration last year, arguing they haven\u2019t been forceful or creative enough in their opposition to the president. He, like others interviewed for this story, said he thought the base\u2019s frustration with party leadership was more about its failure to defeat Trump in 2024 and the perception it has done little to thwart him while in office.<\/p><p>Even among Democrats who have represented battleground districts, there\u2019s a concern the party isn\u2019t offering \u201cbigger, bolder policy ideas this year\u201d and the party hasn\u2019t \u201cbeen inspiring enough,\u201d said former Rep. Susan Wild.<\/p><p>\u201cVoters are looking for [an] actual strategy for how we are going to be different, what our plan is,\u201d Wild said, citing \u201cMedicare for All\u201d and subsidized child care as potential policy platforms. \u201cYou can\u2019t just talk about an affordability agenda without talking specifics.\u201d<\/p><p>During the second Trump administration, Danielle Butterfield, president of Democratic super PAC Priorities USA, voters have identified a \u201cvacuum in Democratic leadership.\u201d<\/p><p>\u201cIn a world where our party doesn\u2019t have any lever of government, our leadership is failing in crazy ways,\u201d Butterfield said. \u201cIt has created this circular firing squad of everyone else saying, \u2018Maybe someone else will step up.\u2019 And progressive Democrats are the ones who are meeting the moment, and people want that.\u201d<\/p><p>Butterfield pointed to the difference she saw in the ads from El-Sayed\u2019s and Stevens\u2019 campaigns. She believed El-Sayed did a better job explaining to voters exactly how he proposed to make their lives better, centered on passing \u201cMedicare for All\u201d and abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.<\/p><p>\u201cAs a whole, progressive candidates are meeting that anger more vividly,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re seeing that play out in these primaries.\u201d<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=2263\">Trump-Backed Candidate in Michigan Loses to Opponent Who Dropped Out<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Abdul El-Sayed\u2019s narrow win is a low point for the center-left as Democrats head toward November.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2270,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-election"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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