Abdul El-Sayed’s win in Michigan's US Senate primary was the latest sign that Democratic voters want the party to move left.
The race came down to the wire before US media projected that El-Sayed had narrowly prevailed over US Representative Haley Stevens, a moderate supported by Democratic leaders and pro-Israel groups.
Israel has become a fault line running through Democratic primaries all year, pitting the party's progressive base against its more moderate, institutionally-backed wing.
The result had wider implications for the party, as it was a statewide race in a Midwestern swing state. Exactly the kind of battleground Democrats can't afford to lose if they want any real shot at a Senate majority come November.
The result is consistent with broader signs of a leftward shift among Democratic voters. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released earlier this week found self-described liberal voters now make up 71% of Democrats, up from 55% in 2012.
