The Michigan senate primary
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This whole spectacle has been rather disheartening, especially since it’s looking increasingly likely that the Michigan race could well be decisive in terms of control of the Senate in January.
The candidates are at stark odds over the United States’ support of Israel. Dr. El-Sayed has said Israel should not exist as an explicitly Jewish state and has advocated ending U.S. financial assistance to the country. Ms. Stevens supports continuing U.S. military aid to Israel without conditions.
Both these positions strike me as completely absurd. Whatever the abstract merits of Zionism might be, Israel as an explicitly Jewish state isn’t going away. Stevens’ position makes her sound like a puppet for AIPAC, which has poured tens of millions of dollars into her campaign.
Stevens also seems to be leaning into some sort of schtick about her purported “Michigan accent,” which as someone who grew up in the state and still has most of my family there makes no sense to me at all. We talk normal in Michigan, especially everybody from the Detroit area (Stevens is from the northern suburbs), so Stevens’ attempt to jump on the populist crazy train seems farcical, although who knows what the crucial Moron American swing vote finds compelling? (I sure don’t).
The race has turned into some sort of symbolic showdown between the party’s progressive and centrist aka “moderate” wings, which is unfortunate because let’s face it the only thing that really matters here is winning in November, and it’s very unclear which of these candidates would have the better shot to do so — you can make all sorts of impressionistic arguments in both directions, and polling on this sort of question is so unreliable as to be almost useless.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York endorsed Dr. El-Sayed in early July and subsequently campaigned for him.Later that month, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, who is popular in her state, announced that she was backing Ms. Stevens.
Others have also jumped into the fray, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Chris Van Hollen for Dr. El-Sayed as well as Senator Gary Peters of Michigan and Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina for Ms. Stevens. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Senate minority leader, has asked donors to support Ms. Stevens.
I’ll just be glad when it’s over.