Progressive, anti-Israel candidate Abdul El-Sayed was leading a tight race for Michigan’s Democratic US Senate nomination against moderate US Rep. Haley Stevens in the early morning hours of Wednesday, with early tallies showing El-Sayed with a small lead as some outlets called the race in his favor.

Both addressed supporters, saying the vote count could continue well into the day.

“We knew that this was going to be a close race, and that’s exactly what we’ve got,” Stevens said. “I am feeling fired up, and you should be too.”

The bitter and expensive campaign attracted national attention not just because the general election for the seat will help decide which party controls the Senate. It also became the most notable proxy battle between the Democratic Party’s establishment and progressive wings, with positions on Israel and the Middle East at the forefront of the fight.

The winner will face Republican Mike Rogers in November in a race critical to Democrats’ hopes of regaining control of the US Senate.

With 93 percent of the votes counted by early Wednesday morning, Politico showed El-Sayed with 48.7% of the vote and Stevens with 47.3%.

NBC called the vote in favor of El-Sayed, but most US outlets said the race was still too close to call.

The mood started out jubilant Tuesday evening at El-Sayed’s election night watch party at a concert hall in Detroit. Over 200 supporters cheered as a large projector displayed his early lead in the race, though only single digits of the results were in. But as more of the mail-in vote was tallied, the crowd started to boo as his lead eroded.

Scattered figures throughout the crowd wore keffiyehs and other pro-Palestinian gear. One supporter clad in a campaign shirt for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also sported a red “Make Palestine Free Again” hat, styled in the manner of a pro-Trump “Make America Great Again” hat.

“Whatever happens tonight,” El-Sayed told a thinned but still energetic crowd, “we have a responsibility to ensure that we unite, unite to make sure that Mike Rogers never sees the inside of the US Senate.”

The contest has emerged as one of the clearest tests yet of the direction of the Democratic Party, pitting El-Sayed’s campaign against Stevens, an establishment-backed moderate supported by Democratic leaders and pro-Israel groups.

El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, campaigned on “Medicare for All,” finance reform, and ending military aid to Israel. Stevens, a four-term congresswoman, focused on manufacturing and the economy. She stressed her past victories in tough races, saying she would be best positioned to beat Rogers.

The pro-Israel lobby AIPAC and its affiliates have spent more than $30 million supporting Stevens, a stalwart backer of the Jewish state. El-Sayed and his backers have seized on the group’s intervention as an example of the problems of big money in politics.

Jewish candidate picks up nomination........

© The Times of Israel