Sanders argues El-Sayed can appeal to working-class Republicans in Michigan

Campaign Sanders argues El-Sayed can appeal to working-class Republicans in Michigan Comments: by Max Rego - 08/02/26 4:01 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Max Rego - 08/02/26 4:01 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) argued Sunday that Abdul El-Sayed can appeal to Republicans and independents in the Senate general election in Michigan if he defeats Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.

“The reason I think that Dr. El-Sayed will win in Michigan is that if you’re [a] working-class Republican, you know what? You can’t afford health care. You know the system is broken. You are struggling to figure out how you’re going to retire with dignity,” Sanders told host Kristen Welker on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“And by the way, if you’re a Republican, you know maybe we should be investing our money into Michigan, into Vermont, into America rather than giving the extremist government of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and Israel tens of billions of dollars to continue their atrocities against the Palestinian people,” the Vermont senator later added.

Sanders predicted, “So if you’re a working-class Republican in Michigan, I think you’re going to listen to what El-Sayed says. And I think many of them will end up voting for him, independents as well, of course.”

The matchup between El-Sayed and Stevens has pitted the progressive and centrist factions of the Democratic Party against each other, including within the upper chamber. El-Sayed has also criticized the amount of corporate PAC spending in favor of Stevens, particularly the millions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Sanders and Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Pa.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have backed El-Sayed, while retiring Sens. Chris Coons (D-Conn.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) are supporting Stevens.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) also told Punchbowl News last month that Stevens “has the best chance to win” the general election against former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers (Mich.), the likely Republican nominee.

Retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), whose seat El-Sayed and Stevens are vying for, endorsed the latter last month. The two-term senator said Democrats “can’t afford to lose” his seat as they vie for control of the Senate after two years in the minority.

Polling of the Democratic primary electorate indicates El-Sayed has the edge. A survey Emerson College, WLNS and WOODTV conducted on July 26-27 found that 54 percent of 700 respondents backed El-Sayed, while 39 percent supported Stevens and 6 percent were undecided.

The general election in the rust belt purple state, meanwhile, projects to be a tight one. Rogers lost to Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin (Mich.) by less than 30,000 votes in 2024, the same year President Trump won Michigan for the second time in three tries.

As of Friday, Decision Desk HQ gives Democrats a 60 percent chance of holding on to the seat.