The progressive Working Families Party endorsed Michigan’s U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Tuesday, saying it is prepared to go “all in” to help him win a high-profile Democratic primary that has become a test of the political left’s rising influence.
WFP’s support is another sign that El-Sayed has consolidated progressive support in his three-way race, as he seeks to defeat his more centrist and establishment-friendly opponents: state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Rep. Haley Stevens. The former public health executive from Detroit has risen to the top of most polls of the Michigan race, which is considered a key general election battleground this fall.
“Abdul has dedicated his career to making government work for regular people and fighting to improve our broken health care system,” Maurice Mitchell, WFP’s national director, said in a statement. “He’s not afraid to stand up to Donald Trump, Elon Musk, or any of the greedy billionaires screwing over our communities. We’re excited to work with Abdul to win Medicare for All, create good union jobs, and end the influence of big money in politics.”
An official from WFP said it’s “all in” on helping El-Sayed’s candidacy, viewing the Aug. 4 primary as one of the group’s marquee races this summer. The organization spent about $1.5 million helping Chris Rabb win his competitive primary for Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District last week, which was seen as a major victory for progressives.
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El-Sayed, who backs a single-payer health care system and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has previously received endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
El-Sayed’s rise in the Michigan race has alarmed some Democratic leaders, who consider him the least electable of the party’s three candidates running in the Senate race. The winner of the party’s primary is likely to face former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in the general election, in a race Democrats probably have to win to have any hope of obtaining a Senate majority.
El-Sayed’s supporters counter that his bold approach to politics would inject necessary new life into the party and win over many Arab Americans in the state who turned away from the Democratic ticket in 2024.
WFP is looking to continue its recent winning streak, after victories in Rabb’s race in Pennsylvania and with Analilia Mejia in a special election in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.
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