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Democrats have a unity problem three months out from the general election, after a bruising primary that showed how evenly the party’s voters are split between progressive and centrist visions for its future.
President Trump may be exactly what they need to pull together and defeat the GOP nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), strategists told The Hill.
Despite their preferred candidate, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), being defeated by Abdul El-Sayed, the party’s establishment was quick to encourage their base to coalesce behind the progressive former health official, citing the threat of Trump.
Stevens said in her concession speech that Trump and Rogers “want us to come out of this primary tired and divided,” while Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), who had endorsed Stevens, said Rogers and Republicans would be a “rubber stamp for the Trump agenda,” throwing her support behind El-Sayed.
The congresswoman and the Senate nominee appeared together at a “unity breakfast” for Michigan Democrats on Thursday, even embracing on stage.
Following his win, El-Sayed set the tone for the party moving forward.
“Mike Rogers is a guy who, believe it or not, went back to Florida so he can lick every single boot Donald Trump owns to beg for his endorsement,” El-Sayed told supporters following his victory.
Despite Trump flipping Michigan twice in 2016 and 2024, Democrats say Trump’s poor approval rating, coupled with his handling of the economy, are enough to unite a broad spectrum of voters.
“Frankly I’m not that worried as long as Abdul talks more about costs and corruption than today’s intraparty fight. Democrats really hate Trump,” said Andrew Mamo, a Democratic operative who has advised candidates this cycle including Mallory McMorrow, who suspended her Senate bid last month.
Even some Republicans acknowledge the unifying effect Trump has on Democrats of all stripes.
“They will eat whatever shit sandwich is put in front of them if the end goal is putting a check on Trump in Congress,” said Jason Cable Roe, a Michigan-based Republican strategist.
Trump’s approval rating in Michigan sits at 37 percent, according to an online tracking poll from Civiqs. By comparison, the president’s approval rating was at 45 percent in the state when he took office in January.
Democrats also point to Trump’s economic policies, specifically to how they say his tariff policies have wreaked havoc on the state’s economy, which relies largely on auto manufacturing and trade with Canada.
“The president ran the economy into a ditch with tariffs and a war of choice in the Middle East. As always, Donald Trump is the Sword of Damocles for Republicans: no one turns out voters like Trump, but no one enrages voters like Trump,” said Adrian Hemond, a Michigan-based Democratic consultant.
But not all Democrats are rushing to unite behind El-Sayed, who has staked out a staunch anti-Israel position.
“I can’t come together with someone if you are willing to embrace people that love Hamas or that thinks America deserved 9-11. I think that’s reasonable,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said in an interview with CNN on Wednesday.
The senator, who frequently breaks with his party, was referring to El-Sayed campaigning with left-wing influencer Hassan Piker, who has said he would vote for Hamas over Israel because he is a “lesser evil voter.” Piker said in 2019 that the U.S. “deserved” the September 11th terror attacks, but later acknowledged that the comment was “inappropriate.”
Fetterman argued El-Sayed’s victory puts the seat more in play for Republicans, and that he could “100 percent” lose to Rogers.
Recent polling suggests that El-Sayed faces tough fight ahead against Rogers. An EPIC-MRA poll released on Monday just before the primary showed Rogers leading El-Sayed by three points in a head-to-head matchup, within the poll’s four-point margin of error. DDHQ’s election forecast gives El-Sayed a 55 percent chance of prevailing.
Many Republicans celebrated El-Sayed’s win, saying he was their preferred candidate to run against in the fall.
“Great news for the Republican Party. El-Sayed, a Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel, is the projected winner in this race with the Socialist,” Trump wrote in a TruthSocial post following news of El-Sayed’s victory.
The GOP campaign ecosystem has already gone on the offensive against El-Sayed.
The Senate Leadership Fund rolled out a six-figure digital ad, labeling El-Sayed as “dangerously radical,” while the National Republican Senatorial Committee aired their own ad painting the Democrat in the same light.
The nastiest attack on El-Sayed yet came on Wednesday from Trump while at an event selling the “No Tax on Tips” provision of the One Big Beautiful Bill in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
“This guy hates Jews,” Trump told a crowd of supporters. “Somebody said, ‘Oh that’s a little strong.’ No, he hates Jews and hates Israel.”
Some Republicans are wary Trump’s attacks will play into Democrats’ hands. Michigan-based Republican strategist Jason Cable Roe called Trump’s attack on El-Sayed “a mistake.”
“He is helping Abdul rally the moderates within the Democratic coalition to him because Trump is making this a binary choice between Trump and El-Sayed ,” Roe said.
“Let Mike Rogers run his campaign and stay out of it,” he said.
The Republican National Committee threw cold water on the prospect of Democrats uniting against Trump in Michigan.
“Democrats can sing kumbaya all they want, but at the end of the day, their radical candidates’ only message is Trump Derangement Syndrome,” said Natalie Baldassarre, national press secretary at the RNC.
One Michigan Republican strategist echoed the sentiment.
“It’s quite telling that the only thing that Democrats can seem to agree on is their shared hatred for the President and not a single policy proposal that would actually resonate with voters,” the strategist said.
Rogers is a formidable opponent in his own right, having only lost to Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) by 19,000 voters in 2024.
While Roe expressed concern over a potential unifying effect Trump could have on Democrats, he was less concerned about the impact the president would have on Rogers.
“Trump is baked into the brand,” Roe said. “I don’t think anyone’s going to say ‘oh, I’m not voting for that Republican because they support Trump.”
Ironically, Trump’s coattails were not long enough for Rogers to take advantage of in Michigan in 2024. Slotkin notably did not invoke Trump during the campaign, instead focusing on economic issues impacting the state.
Democrats say the difference four years later is that they’re playing offense instead of defense.
“Trump is so wildly unpopular because of everything he’s done to damage the Michigan economy compared to where he was at that point in 2024,” said one Michigan Democratic strategist.
“How could people not bring him up?” they said.
Alyssa Brouillet, communications director for the Rogers campaign, pointed to Tuesday’s results as evidence of the Republicans’ strength heading into November.
“Michigan Republicans have been unified behind Mike Rogers for over a year and are charging full steam ahead through November,” she said in an emailed statement. “Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Abdul became the only statewide candidate from either party who failed to win support from a majority of voters. More Democrats rejected Abdul than supported him.”
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