The high-stakes fight between the left-wing and the center-left establishment for the future of the Democratic Party took center stage Tuesday in battleground Michigan.

That’s where moderate Rep. Haley Stevens, who is backed by Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the party establishment, faced off in a fiery Senate nomination debate against former Wayne County Health Department Director Abdul El-Sayed, a far-left candidate endorsed by progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

The sharpest exchanges centered on campaign money, outside spending and U.S. policy toward Israel, with El-Sayed repeatedly accusing Stevens of benefiting from millions of dollars in outside spending from pro-Israel and corporate-aligned groups.

«If you want your politics dictated by AIPAC or Chuck Schumer, then I’m not your guy,» El-Sayed said, arguing the Democratic Party would not change if it continued to elect leaders who take money from corporations. Stevens countered by accusing El-Sayed of benefiting from Republican efforts to boost him in the primary. «What my opponent needs to answer is, why is the GOP spending thousands of dollars to prop up his campaign, saying that he will make Mike Rogers the next U.S. senator?» Stevens said.

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The showdown came four weeks before Michigan’s primary, with the winner taking on former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who is on a glide path to the GOP nomination, in the crucial midterm battle to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.

The rare open Senate seat is a top Republican target and is a must-hold for the Democrats as they aim to win back the Senate majority from the GOP, which currently controls the chamber with a slim 53-47 margin.

The anti-establishment El-Sayed, who has been sharply critical of Israel, blamed AIPAC’s influence in American politics and accused politicians, like Stevens, of being «bought off by AIPAC» on Tuesday night. «So long as our politicians continue to be bought off by AIPAC do not be surprised when we fight wars that are in their best interest,» El-Sayed said.

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Stevens, meanwhile, sought to flip El-Sayed’s attacks over outside spending back onto him, pressing the progressive candidate to release his tax returns and accusing him of being less than transparent about who was funding his own campaign and career. 

«Well, look, transparency is also important, and this is why I have released my tax returns. My opponent, Abdul, he said that transparency is key, but yet he hasn’t released his tax returns,» Stevens said. «Abdoul, you talk about getting money out of politics and putting money in people’s pockets. But who is putting money in yours? What are you hiding?

Stevens, who agreed with El-Sayed on an immediate end to U.S. involvement in Iran, also drew a contrast between herself and her opponent by emphasizing her support for a two-state solution.

«The difference between my opponent and myself on this issue is that I believe in a two-state solution,» Stevens said. «I can say that Israel has a right to peacefully exist alongside the people of Palestine and in Gaza.»

An Israeli soldier takes up position on the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel. (AP/Tsafrir Abayov)

Immigration enforcement also became a flashpoint during the debate, with El-Sayed saying ICE needed to be abolished and accusing Stevens of shifting her tone to be more aggressive towards the agency Tuesday night than she has in the past. 

Stevens responded by accusing El-Sayed of using «Republican tactics,» saying a House vote El-Sayed referenced, claiming Stevens «voted to thank ICE and increase their budget,» was a «cynical» move by the GOP to include condemnation for an antisemitic terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado alongside funding for the federal immigration agency.

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«There was a bill on the House floor to condemn an antisemitic terrorist attack that in Boulder, Colorado, that killed an individual and injured a Holocaust survivor. Instead of bringing us together, Republicans put in a cynical point about thanking ICE,» Stevens said in response to El-Sayed’s claims she is a supporter of ICE. «I am always going to stand up to violence, and I just wish my opponent wouldn’t pursue the cynical approaches of Republicans when we do need to be united.»

On child care, Stevens pointed to expanding grants and paid family leave, while El-Sayed called for making child care «100% free» and paying for it by taxing billionaire wealth. The debate also featured a lengthy exchange on artificial intelligence and data centers. El-Sayed called for stricter federal guardrails, union labor requirements, community benefit agreements and an «FDA for AI’s,» while Stevens said data centers should be forced to pay utility and water bills, so Michigan families are not stuck with higher costs.

Tuesday night’s debate was held two days after progressive state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, once the third major Democrat in the primary, suspended her campaign.

McMorrow, who has seen her national profile expand in recent years and was running as a progressive in an ideological space between El-Sayed and Stevens, suspended her campaign amid faltering poll numbers and fundraising that weren’t keeping pace with her two main rivals.

McMorrow pledged to fully support whichever Democrat wins the primary and will ultimately face-off with Rogers, who is running for the Senate for a second straight cycle after losing in 2024 to now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin by a razor-thin margin.

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Following McMorrow’s exit from the race, Stevens praised her fellow Democrat by calling her an «important voice» for policies that benefit Michigan families. Stevens, who has been backed by millions in super PAC spending, including big bucks from Israel-aligned groups, argued that she is the strongest Democratic candidate to win the primary and defeat Rogers in November.

Representative Haley Stevens, a Democrat from Michigan, listens during an interview on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019. Stevens represents Michigan’s 11th congressional district. Photographer: Melissa Lyttle/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Melissa Lyttle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

El-Sayed praised McMorrow for having the «courage» to challenge what he described as a rigged political system, accusing Democratic Party insiders of spending millions to influence the primary. While he did not name specific groups, his remarks appeared to reference corporate PACs and establishment party leaders such as Schumer.

El-Sayed, who, if elected, would make history as the nation’s first Muslim senator, is an epidemiologist who unsuccessfully ran for governor as an insurgent candidate in 2018. He has made support for «Medicare-for-all» a major component of his campaign.

The far-left candidate has also called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and is a vocal critic of Israel amid its war with Hamas — even characterizing Israel’s actions in Gaza as «genocide» against Palestinians. And El-Sayed, who served as a top surrogate on Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, has vowed not to accept PAC donations.

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Schumer and the party establishment view Stevens as more electable than El-Sayed, who has sparked controversy with his past comments. They worry that El-Sayed as the party’s nominee would jeopardize the Democrat-controlled Senate seat by pushing the party too far to the left in a state that President Donald Trump carried two years ago by just over one percentage point.

A victory by El-Sayed over Stevens in next month’s primary would give the far left a major win on a statewide stage, and likely further boost their momentum in the battle for the Democratic Party’s future.

On Tuesday night, Stevens leaned into her congressional record, tenure in the Obama administration’s U.S. Auto Rescue Task Force, her manufacturing background, and bipartisan efforts in Congress, including work on legislation aimed at blocking Chinese cars from undercutting American automakers. 

«We can build affordable cars here in Michigan without having the Chinese come in and eat our lunch. Not on my watch,» Stevens said.

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El-Sayed leaned on being a political outsider who refuses corporate and Super PAC donations, while he pointed to his UAW endorsement and argued that Democrats need to be more aggressive in confronting Wall Street and corporate influence across many areas. 

«There’s a reason that the UAW has endorsed me in this race,» El-Sayed said, arguing that corporations are «a lot more interested in a quarterly bottom line than they are in the long term sustainability of manufacturing.»

Qatar condenó este miércoles los ataques perpetrados por Irán contra Kuwait y Bahréin y solicitó, por vía diplomática, evitar una escalada tras la reanudación de hostilidades originada por los ataques del régimen a petroleros en el estrecho de Ormuz.

En un comunicado difundido por el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores a través de X, Doha remarcó que actúa como intermediario clave en las conversaciones entre Teherán y Washington y subrayó “la necesidad de evitar que la región sufra las consecuencias de estos ataques injustificados”.

Qatar también resaltó la importancia de “mantener la vía del diálogo y la diplomacia, reducir las tensiones y consolidar los avances logrados en virtud del memorando de entendimiento”.

Por su parte, el Gobierno de Kuwait, a través de su Ministerio de Exteriores, condenó este miércoles los ataques de Irán contra su territorio y expresó “su más enérgico repudio en los términos más severos” por la “repetición de las agresiones criminales de Irán”, al advertir que “se reserva el derecho de tomar todas las medidas necesarias”.

En un comunicado, Kuwait calificó los bombardeos recientes como “un socavamiento sistemático de los esfuerzos para reducir la escalada” en la región y los consideró una “flagrante violación de la soberanía kuwaití y una amenaza directa” a la seguridad del país y de sus ciudadanos y residentes.

El Ejército de Kuwait informó en X sobre la intercepción de misiles en su espacio aéreo y el registro de varias explosiones, sin precisar ubicaciones. En paralelo, el Ministerio del Interior de Baréin instó a la población a mantener la calma y buscar refugio tras la activación de las sirenas de emergencia, según mensajes difundidos en redes sociales durante la madrugada.

La Guardia Revolucionaria iraní reivindicó este miércoles 85 ataques contra bases estadounidenses en países del golfo Pérsico, horas después de que Washington lanzara una ofensiva contra la República Islámica por los ataques iraníes a embarcaciones en el estrecho de Ormuz. Medios iraníes reportaron que los ataques se dirigieron a la base de la Quinta Flota estadounidense en Baréin y la base aérea Ali Al-Salem en Kuwait, como “respuesta inicial” a lo que denominaron “violación clara” del alto el fuego pactado con Estados Unidos hace tres semanas.

Por su parte, el régimen aseguró que la ofensiva estadounidenses contra su territorio, la revocación de la autorización para vender petróleo y “la violación de los acuerdos” sobre el estrecho de Ormuz “dejaron sin efecto partes clave y fundamentales” del memorando firmado con Washington para poner fin a la guerra.

En un comunicado, el Ministerio de Exteriores iraní denunció: “Los repetidos ataques ilegales contra Irán, junto con la decisión tomada anoche por el Tesoro de EE.UU. de revocar la licencia para la venta de petróleo iraní, la violación de los acuerdos iraníes en el estrecho de Ormuz y las continuas agresiones militares y actos terroristas del régimen sionista contra el Líbano han dejado sin efecto partes clave y fundamentales del acuerdo de cese de la guerra”.

La diplomacia iraní responsabilizó a Estados Unidos de la nueva escalada. “La responsabilidad de las peligrosas consecuencias de esta escalada recae en el renegado régimen estadounidense”, señaló.

El Ministerio consideró que los ataques lanzados por Estados Unidos durante la madrugada “contra varios centros de control y vigilancia situados en la costa sur de Irán” constituyen una “flagrante violación” del primer artículo del memorando de entendimiento firmado el 17 de junio para poner fin al conflicto.

Al mismo tiempo, Teherán advirtió que sus Fuerzas Armadas “no dudarán y también atacarán la fuente y el origen de las agresiones”.

Irán denunció que la ofensiva estadounidense dejó varios heridos en el sur del país, tras los ataques contra más de 80 objetivos de la República Islámica. En las últimas semanas, las tensiones entre Washington y Teherán se intensificaron, con ataques iraníes a buques y bombardeos estadounidenses a objetivos militares en la costa sur de Irán, en un pulso por el control del estrecho de Ormuz, vía fundamental para el comercio global de energías fósiles.

(Con información de AFP y EFE)

Neera Tanden and Shannon Watts, a pair of top Democratic political operatives, are calling on Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner to step down amid a bombshell rape allegation that emerged Monday.

Tanden, the CEO of the Center for American Progress, a center-left think tank that had deep ties to the Biden and Obama administrations, has been critical of Platner for months.

«I will remain incredibly angry at the people who didn’t vet this candidate, but in life you don’t get the best choices. Unless people show a lot more courage than they have,» Tanden said in an X post that was re-upped Monday.

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In addition to calling for his removal, Tanden and Watts are also strongly cautioning the party about its next move as the state nears the Nov. 3 general election.

Platner, who has fended off stories about a Nazi tattoo, past online comments on race and relational infidelity, came under renewed fire Monday afternoon when Politico reported that he had allegedly raped a former girlfriend, Jenny Racicot, while heavily intoxicated after allegedly being told repeatedly to stop.

She also went on CNN Monday evening shortly after the report was published to tell host Jake Tapper that «by dictionary definition» Platner «raped» her.

«I thought, here’s a man who was drunk and who, by dictionary definition, raped me. And he’s blaming drunk women,» Racicot said. «So, I just felt like that was a very odd take to have on that. And I also feel like, with all of the comments that he made about women, sexual assault, rape, even, um, you know, the comments that he had made that was in The New York Times article about, you know, threatening people with rape, like, why does this person have this issue, like scattered throughout their life, throughout their commentary, like it‘s on their mind?»

Platner has denied the allegations, calling them «troubling, serious, and false.»

The Platner campaign posted a video on X shortly after the Politico story published where Platner again called the allegations «false,» adding he was going to «reflect» on the best path forward. 

«So, regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins,» Platner says in the video. «Those were the goals when we launched this campaign, and they remain my goals today.»

Watts, who has grown in prominence through advocacy with her gun control organization, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, immediately highlighted the story, criticizing party figures who, in her view, had blown past warning signs about Platner’s behavior.

«MAYBE LISTEN TO WOMEN IN THE PARTY YOU F—— IDIOTS!!!!» Watts wrote in a post on X.

«Who endorsed him despite the fact that he said bigoted, racist and sexist things online? Despite his Totenkopf tattoo? Despite accusations of domestic assault? Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Ruben Gallego, Martin Heinrich, Ro Khanna. Who am I missing?» Watts added.

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Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner stand together during a Fighting Oligarchy tour stop at the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine campus in Orono, Maine, May 24, 2026. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

With the state Democratic Party calling on Platner to step aside, Watts wasted little time setting her sights on a possible replacement.

She began striking out against letting someone like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., handpick an alternative.

«Bernie Sanders — the worst judge of character in history — hasn’t yet condemned the fatally flawed candidate he forced upon the Dem Party in Maine, likely causing us to lose the Senate. Why? He’s going to try and hold us hostage until we pick his other sh—- candidate,» Watts wrote, likely referring to Troy Jackson, another progressive in the state.

Notably, Sanders dropped his endorsement of Platner on Tuesday and called on Platner to drop out of the race.

Jackson, a former Maine Senate president, faces allegations of his own, having reportedly gotten into a physical altercation with a female colleague, according to Progressive Victory, an advocacy group.

«So no, we’re not going to pick this f—— guy,» Watts wrote in another post, highlighting Progressive Victory’s statement on Jackson.

Tanden also hinted at her disapproval at the idea of swapping Platner out with another up-and-coming progressive.

«Isn’t the most democratic thing to do here is select the candidate who won the most votes in the Gov’s race? I think they were all pretty good, but that might be the most credible with voters,» Tanden wrote.

Like Watts, Tanden criticized voices suggesting Jackson might be a suitable alternative.

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Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks at his primary election event June 9, 2026, in Blue Hill, Maine. (CJ Gunther/Getty Images)

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«Maybe the people who got us into this mess should take a beat on the right path for the future. And I say that with the utmost respect to Ro Khanna,» Tanden said, highlighting a post from Khanna that noted Jackson’s achievements just hours after the news about Platner had broken.

Khanna, who had fiercely supported Platner, rescinded his endorsement on Monday along with several other high-profile Democrats, who are calling on Platner to drop out of the race.