Michael Moore isn’t just celebrating Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary—he’s declaring it the opening shot in what he believes will become a full-scale takeover of the Democratic Party.
Appearing Tuesday night on CNN with Laura Coates, the liberal filmmaker praised progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s strong showing and launched a blistering attack on Democratic leadership, arguing the party has been led by what he called “hacks” for far too long.
(Video: CNN)
“If I could get on my knees and beg it would be for exactly what you said,” Moore told Coates when asked whether Democratic voters needed to replace the party establishment. “Because we are not going to win the other way. We lost that way in ’24.”
By Wednesday morning, Moore had plenty to celebrate.
El-Sayed, a former public health official backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive leaders, defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in one of the year’s most closely watched Democratic primaries. The race had become a national proxy battle between the party’s progressive and establishment wings.
Moore has been one of El-Sayed’s most vocal supporters, endorsing him weeks before the election and urging fellow Michiganders to back what he called a new generation of Democratic leadership.
During the CNN interview, Moore argued Democrats have spent too much time worrying about “electability” instead of embracing candidates who energize the party’s progressive base. “I will not support hacks,” Moore said. “Hacks in the Democratic Party who have led us to this Waterloo.”
He reserved some of his harshest criticism for former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing them of losing young voters by maintaining strong support for Israel during the Gaza war. “All the young people in the ’24 election are like, ‘I don’t want to die,'” Moore said before arguing Democratic leaders had alienated key voting blocs by refusing to break with Israel.
Moore claimed the party cannot afford to repeat what he sees as the political mistakes of 2024. “If we do this again,” he warned, “there will be a third Trump term.”
The Michigan primary has become one of the clearest examples yet of the ideological tug-of-war inside today’s Democratic Party.
Progressives framed El-Sayed as an outsider willing to challenge corporate influence and the party hierarchy, while Stevens campaigned as a pragmatic Democrat capable of winning a statewide race in one of the nation’s premier swing states.
Even before the election, Republicans openly acknowledged they were watching the Democratic fight closely. GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers privately suggested he believed El-Sayed would be easier to defeat in November, though Democrats on both sides have since emphasized the need to unite for the general election.
Moore, however, says the bigger story isn’t November. He believes the Democratic establishment’s days are numbered. “This will not stand. This will not continue,” Moore declared. “The youth of America are going to rise up.”
MY QUICK TAKE:
When Michael Moore starts calling fellow Democrats “hacks,” you know the family reunion has gone sideways. Grab some popcorn and flip over to the Democrats. The fight isn’t over Republicans anymore—it’s over who gets to run the Democratic Party. Moore isn’t asking for a tune-up. He’s calling for a political demolition crew.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- Mediaite: Michael Moore Tells CNN He’s Begging for Progressives to Overthrow Democratic Establishment ‘Hacks’
- Associated Press: The Latest: Michigan awaits outcome of fierce Democratic Senate primary
- The Guardian: El-Sayed holds narrow lead in Michigan Senate primary but race too close to call
- Michael Moore Substack: Why I’m Asking All Fellow Michiganders to Support Dr. Abdul El-Sayed
