Schumer backs El-Sayed after progressive wins Dem nomination in Michigan Senate primary

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer endorsed progressive Abdul El-Sayed on Wednesday after he won the Democratic nomination for Michigan's open Senate seat.

Schumer, this cycle, has become something of a boogeyman for progressives, who have painted him as an establishment puppetmaster working to keep progressive candidates off the ticket.

"Democrats are united by a common purpose: putting a check on Donald Trump by defeating his Republican enablers and taking back the Senate," he and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said in a joint statement, obtained by Politico. "We look forward to working with Abdul and Democrats across Michigan to win this seat in November."

El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., in a close contest that was not called until Wednesday morning. The race was widely viewed as a proxy between the progressive left and the political establishment.

But El-Sayed had been expected to win by a large margin and the state primaries returned relatively mixed results for progressives in the Wolverine State.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.