Abdul El-Sayed’s Win Is an Opportunity Democrats Should Embrace | Opinion
Newsweek · C · trust 35/100
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign built a political coalition that reached beyond traditional Democratic constituencies, engaged new voters and showed how Democrats can expand the electorate in Michigan and beyond.
He has already defied many pundits who questioned whether he could win the primary. Now, many of the same pundits will ask familiar questions about whether a progressive candidate can win a competitive general election, especially in a purple state. That would be a mistake.
Far too often, conventional judgments about electability become self-fulfilling. National leaders decide a candidate or state is too risky, donors hold back and the resulting lack of investment is later cited as proof that the race was never viable.
That circular logic hurts all of us. The energy behind El-Sayed’s campaign should be understood for what it is: an opportunity. At a moment when Democrats have rightly proclaimed that a big tent is essential to defeating MAGA, El-Sayed is among those who are building one. National Democrats and donors should embrace that energy and invest in the coalition he has built so that Democrats can win in Michigan this November—and again in 2028.
The organization I lead, Democracy Alliance, has long believed that political power is built over time by investing in local leaders, organizing year-round and reaching people through voices they trust. That investment is especially important now, as we are witnessing an effort to concentrate power in the presidency and weaken every institution capable of checking it.
Fighting back will require a big tent capable of withstanding efforts to intimidate and divide us. It will require re-energizing voters, especially multiracial working-class voters, who’ve tuned out and lost faith in both parties altogether. El-Sayed is showing us how by fighting for policies that put working people first, like Medicare for All, world-class public schools and tackling corruption in politics.
He will face a difficult campaign ahead. If elected, El-Sayed will be the first Muslim senator in history. We already saw Islamophobia rear its ugly head in the primary, and we can expect far worse from the Republicans going forward.
As a Jewish woman who grew up in suburban Detroit, I have been particularly discouraged to see misinformation used to inflame tensions between our communities. For us, these aren’t rhetorical political battles on a national map; they are personal. I grew up going to friends’ bar and bat mitzvahs at Temple Beth Israel. So did El-Sayed. As he told his supporters, “antisemitism and Islamophobia are one in the same—and we need to take them on.” Our safety and our futures are tied together.
Some voters may disagree with El-Sayed’s position on Israel, including ending unconditional U.S. military aid and weapons sales to the country. My own extended family in Michigan has had heated debates and reached very different conclusions, reflecting disagreements playing out in families throughout Michigan and across the country. One thing we do agree on is the imperative to do everything possible to defeat the existential threat posed by MAGA.
Meanwhile, MAGA understands the power of our coalition, which means they will work relentlessly to divide it.
That is precisely why Michigan matters so much. It has become one of the country’s most important political laboratories, offering Democrats the opportunity to build a broad multiracial, multifaith, multigenerational coalition that reflects the future promise of our country. Holding that coalition together requires sustained organizing and a willingness to invest through disagreement rather than retreat from it.
But if Democrats can build and maintain that coalition in Michigan, they will have a blueprint for competing in other battleground states.
If they cannot, the consequences will extend well beyond one Senate race.
Michigan is a state rich with battle-tested organizers from Detroit to Douglas, from Marquette to Mount Clemens. Together, they are strengthening multiracial, working-class voter participation, combating disinformation and building civic infrastructure that allows communities to exercise power beyond a single election. We have already seen what they can accomplish. In recent years, Michiganders came together to protect reproductive freedom and restore workers’ collective bargaining rights.
Investing in youth organizing in Michigan is particularly urgent. Michigan ranks among the highest in the country for youth electoral impact across its Senate, gubernatorial and U.S. House races. Investing in youth organizing efforts such as For Michigan and Michigan FIRE Action, a project of Youth Civic Accelerator, can help drive even higher turnout in November while bringing a new generation of young Michiganders into the political process.
We now have a window to turn the energy behind El-Sayed’s victory into lasting political power. Michigan has the leaders and enthusiasm to meet this moment.
National Democrats and donors must give them the resources to do it.
Pamela Shifman is president of the Democracy Alliance, a network of progressive donors committed to building long-term political and civic power. She has spent her career advancing democracy and gender, racial, and economic justice in the United States and around the world.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
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