This Senate race may shape the Democrats' future
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Today, we head to Michigan, where the Senate primary there is playing out like a mini war for the future of the Democratic Party. Arguments about electability, arguments about Israel, and arguments about what a successful campaign looks like in the Midwest after President Trump took the battlegrounds there two years ago. Let's get into it. It's the NPR Politics Podcast. I'm Myles Parks. I cover voting.
I'm Ashley Lopez. I cover politics.
I'm Sam Greenglass. I cover Congress. And Sam, you're coming to us from your home state of Michigan.
What Senate primary in Michigan is framing this episode and why does it matter?
I'm curious, when you get off the plane there, is there like a red carpet? Does Gretchen Whitmer like greet you at the airport? What's the deal?
I wish. But you know, Michigan in the summertime is like no place else. You've got the lakes, you've got beautiful weather, and there's really no place I'd rather be on the campaign trail in this particular season.
From what I understand of Midwest summers, you were probably greeted by mosquitoes, right?
Yeah.
Not as bad as Washington, D.C. OK, fair enough. We did have some smoke here and that outbreak with the lettuce. But now we're we're doing OK.
OK, so we're coming to you to talk about the Senate race. That is super interesting in Michigan for this open Senate seat because Senator Gary Peters is retiring. That is critical if Democrats want to retake the Senate. Republicans are eyeing it as well because President Trump won there just two years ago. Tell us, Sam, about the two Democrats who are running for the Senate seat.
Okay, so I've spent some time now with both of these two candidates. You've got Congresswoman Haley Stevens. She's a former Obama administration staffer, and she flipped a suburban House seat back in 2018. And she's got, you know, the endorsements of more mainstream Democrats in the state of Michigan, Senator Gary Peters, who's retiring, as you mentioned, Governor Gretchen Whitmer. And this is a little bit about how she describes her campaign.
You know, I'm just beating MAGA four times in my congressional races, and I'm passing laws, and I'm doing damn good work. We don't need wish lists or, you know, infights. We need action now, and that's what I've always been about. That's the Michigan way.
Then you've got Abdul El-Sayed. He ran the health departments in Detroit and Wayne County, and he's backed by progressive superstars like Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The problem too often with the Democratic Party is that we have an instinct to say the right thing, but we're bought off by the people who are on the side of doing the wrong thing. And so we're constantly hedging and pulling punches. So we say not much of anything at all.
I mean, it feels tempting to see this race as something we've talked about a lot this year, this feeling, this sort of outsider candidate. We've talked about a lot with the Democratic Socialist candidates, though I know I'll say it has made it clear he is not a Democratic Socialist. But I do feel like the dynamics feel similar when you've got this establishment Democrat like Haley Stevens, who's got the backing of the Chuck Schumers of the world. And then you've got somebody saying the things that I'll say it is saying. I mean, do you see it similarly, Ashley?
Yeah, it's the insurgents versus the establishment. And I think this is not a typical of a Democratic primary. When a party loses a big election like Democrats did in 2024, a big question is like, OK, where do we go from here? And primaries are kind of letting voters sort of guide where the party is headed. Of course, there's sort of like intra-party drama, which is always very fun as a political reporter to cover. But You know, even though Abdullah Syed is not a member of the DSA, of the Democratic Socialists of America, a lot of his platform reflects that.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:47
2
What Senate primary in Michigan is framing this episode and why does it matter?
0:47–6:49
3
Who are the two leading Democratic candidates in the Michigan Senate race?
6:49–7:00
4
What endorsements and backgrounds distinguish Haley Stevens from Abdul El‑Sayed?
7:00–12:07
5
How are progressive versus establishment dynamics shaping this primary?
12:07–19:10