The press has fixated lately on a supposed civil war between the Democratic Party’s moderate establishment and its left-wing flank. Hard-left newcomers won House primaries in New York and Colorado by condemning Israel and billionaires, and Graham Platner vanquished a sitting governor in the Maine Senate primary with the same progressive message before suspending his campaign on Wednesday after a sexual-assault allegation.
Yet a closer look at the party suggests that there is no war—at least, not yet. Progressive populists keep winning, while Democratic incumbents have failed to persuasively criticize their challengers’ most radical views. The next major test for the party will take place in less than a month, when Michigan voters choose their Senate candidate.
And the biggest question is whether anyone can stop Abdul El-Sayed.
The 41-year-old public health official is leading a far-left primary campaign against moderate congresswoman Haley Stevens to succeed retiring senator Gary Peters. The race recently narrowed from three to two candidates when state senator Mallory McMorrow, who attempted to split the gap between the progressive and moderate wings, suspended her campaign. The resulting “head-on collision” will be the cycle’s best look at whether an uncompromising progressive can win a swing state.
