Michigan Senate primary: El-Sayed and Stevens make final push

With less than 48 hours until Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens are making their final appeals across Detroit, focusing on Black churches and union halls. The race has become a national test of the party's direction, with El-Sayed running as a progressive outsider and Stevens as an establishment-backed incumbent. Over $60 million has been spent, much of it by AIPAC and allied groups opposing El-Sayed, making this one of the most expensive primaries in the cycle Source: Al Jazeera.

The candidates

• El-Sayed, a physician and former Detroit health director, is backed by Bernie Sanders and progressive leaders, and has campaigned on economic opportunity and equal rights Source: AP News.
• Stevens, a four-term congresswoman, is supported by Chuck Schumer and Michigan's Democratic establishment, emphasizing electability and experience Source: AP News.

The money factor

AIPAC's super PAC, United Democracy Project, has spent over $30 million against El-Sayed, a record for the group, while other PACs and dark-money groups have pushed total spending past $60 million Source: Al Jazeera. This has made AIPAC a central issue in the campaign, with El-Sayed's rallies featuring chants of "Down with AIPAC" Source: Al Jazeera.

The stakes

The winner will face Republican Mike Rogers in November, and the outcome could shape the party's approach to Israel and its ability to hold the Senate Source: AP News, Al Jazeera. Arab American voters in Dearborn see El-Sayed's potential victory as "historic," a rebuke to AIPAC's influence Source: Al Jazeera.