The progressive wave sweeping the Democratic Party ran straight through Michigan on Tuesday evening, but far-left candidates fell short in key races and nationwide results yielded mixed results in the progressive vs. establishment fight rocking the party.As of press time, Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate unaffiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), narrowly led Rep. Haley Stevens in his bid for the Wolverine state’s open Senate seat. The race was expected to break for El-Sayed, with polling showing him holding a significant lead ahead of Tuesday’s primary, but the result was much close than polling had indicated, and the Associated Press had still not called the race by midnight. As of press time, he led with 50% of the vote to Stevens’s 46%.
At the House level, democratic socialist Donavan McKinney appeared poised to beat out Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., to represent the state’s 13th Congressional District. What had been expected to be a landslide, however, saw Thanedar maintain his lead late into the night, before a later vote dump flipped the race to McKinney. The Associated Press had still not called the race as of press time, but McKinney led Thanedar, 53.7% to 46.3%, with 39% of precincts reporting.
The district included much of Detroit and Thanedar previously benefited from a divided black vote to secure his nomination. Those conditions did not repeat themselves this cycle, however, and McKinney eventually took the lead.
Thanedar achieved national prominence after introducing articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in 2025. Despite his status as a successful businessman with the support of pro-Israel groups, industry analysts were hesitant to characterize the race as a proxy between the progressive base and establishment, with many instead suggesting the primary dynamic was one set by a desire for black representation.
One race that was decisively a battle between the establishment and the progressive insurgents was that of the 7th Congressional District, which pitted former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink against the progressive William Lawrence. That race ultimately saw Lawrence triumph, with the Associated Press calling the race late in the evening, when he led 43% to 29%.
The progressive drama was not limited to Michigan either, but the Show-Me state blunted the advance of the far-left. Missouri played host to a pivotal battle between the far-left and establishment lawmakers. Former Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., went head-to-head with Rep. Wesley Bell, D-Mo., who previously mounted a successful primary challenge to Bush.
Driving much of that contest was the mounting internal divide in the Democratic Party over Israel. Bell had the support of AIPAC and was a reserved supporter of the Israeli state, while Bush embraced the more critical side of that argument. Bell ultimately defied the trends of the night and defeated Bush soundly.
But the progressive wins on Tuesday follow similar developments in New York and Colorado. Earlier this year, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a rising socialist star, backed three successful DSA candidates in NYC-area House primaries. Two of them managed to oust incumbent Democrats, including Reps. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., and Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., the head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Colorado followed soon after, with socialist Melat Kiros defeating Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., who had held the seat for decades.
Ultimately, whether the victories of socialist candidates bode well or ill for the Democratic Party will likely be decided at the ballot box in November. Polling has suggested that El-Sayed will perform worse against Rogers than would have Stevens. A recent Glengarif Group survey, for instance, found Stevens narrowly beating Rogers, 45.5% to 44.7%, but found El-Sayed trailing him, 49.0% to 38.7%. With the race still uncalled, it’s anybody’s guess how the November contest goes.
Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.
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