(The Federalist) Socialist Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens by roughly a point with nearly all votes counted in Michigan’s Democrat primary for U.S. Senate.
El-Sayed campaigned on things like Medicare for All, investing in “affordable” housing, and abolishing ICE. He previously called for defunding the police. His campaign website says he believes “in an economy built by and for working people.”
But the coalition that helped El-Sayed cinch the Democrat nomination is not the constituency his rhetoric implies he cares about. His victory was not the result of support from the low-income or rural voters or groups traditionally thought to constitute working-class communities (which his policies claim to focus on). Instead, younger, wealthier, and “educated” voters in college towns spurred his campaign to victory.