The left flank of the Democratic Party, meaning candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America and progressive movement groups, is gaining ground in Midwest primaries. Abdul El-Sayed's narrow defeat of Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan's Senate nomination contest this week moves the party's internal fight to Wisconsin and Minnesota, where voters pick their candidates next Tuesday in contests that will help determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.
Wisconsin: the far left's next test
Francesca Hong, a state representative and Democratic Socialists of America member, leads polling in Wisconsin's Democratic gubernatorial primary. A former chef, she is running on a platform that includes guaranteed paid leave and a one-year moratorium in Wisconsin on building AI data centers. If she wins the nomination, as many Democrats expect, she will likely face Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, who leads the GOP field in both polling and fundraising for the race to succeed Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who did not seek a third term.
Hong drew national attention this week after a 2020 social media post resurfaced in which she called on people to "cancel Thanksgiving," citing colonialism. She has since said Thanksgiving is her "favorite holiday." She has also walked back past statements supporting defunding and abolishing police, saying she no longer supports cutting police budgets.
A Wisconsin-based Democratic strategist, who requested anonymity to speak freely, argued that Hong at the top of the ticket will damage Democrats in key congressional and legislative races across the state. That concern is shared by a growing number of moderate Democrats who see her presence on the ballot as a lift for Tiffany in a race where Republicans are trying to flip the governor's office.
Minnesota's race and the Michigan spending record
Minnesota's primary next Tuesday features Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan against Rep. Angie Craig for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Tina Smith. Flanagan is backed by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. A Flanagan nomination may increase Republican chances of flipping the seat in a state that leans blue but remains competitive.
The Michigan primary that preceded all of this cost more than $80 million, making it the most expensive Democratic Senate nomination contest in history. The largest outside spender was United Democracy Project, a political action committee aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as AIPAC. Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, told Fox News Digital that winning against that level of outside spending puts progressives on a path toward November.
El-Sayed's win came alongside two other Michigan progressive advances. William Lawrence, co-founder of the Sunrise Movement climate advocacy group, won the Democratic nomination in the 7th Congressional District and will face Republican Rep. Tom Barrett in November.