The Democrats Don’t Know Who They’ll Be in 2028. Michigan May Offer an Answer.

The Intercept
by Jonah Valdez
April 9, 2026
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7 min read

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A Michigan Senate primary highlights the Democratic Party's internal struggle over its future direction.

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Michigan Senate candidates Mallory McMorrow and Abdul El-Sayed are engaged in a primary contest highlighting the Democratic Party's internal struggle over its future direction. McMorrow, a Michigan state senator, and El-Sayed, a physician and former gubernatorial candidate, are vying for the nomination against Rep. Haley Stevens. El-Sayed criticized President Trump's "genocidal, illegal, unjustifiable war with Iran" and campaigned with popular political streamer Hasan Piker at two 600-attendee university rallies. McMorrow, meanwhile, encouraged Democrats to consider invoking the 25th Amendment and criticized El-Sayed for campaigning with Piker, comparing him to "the far-right, neo-Nazi podcaster Nick Fuentes." This primary is seen as a "proxy fight for 2028" and a referendum on how far left the Democratic Party should go.

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