Vice President JD Vance offered a blunt assessment of Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary Wednesday night, arguing that progressive candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s upset victory says less about Michigan politics than it does about what he believes the Democratic Party has become.
Appearing on Fox News with Laura Ingraham, Vance reacted to El-Sayed’s narrow victory over Rep. Haley Stevens, a race that stunned Democratic insiders after Stevens entered Election Day backed by the party establishment and millions of dollars in outside spending. El-Sayed won by roughly one percentage point and will now face Republican Mike Rogers in one of November’s highest-profile Senate contests.
“The base of the Democratic Party just wants radicals. It wants these DSA types.”@VP JD Vance reacts to progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s win — calling out that his success was mostly backed by the votes of “wealthy white liberals and new immigrants to the United States.”… pic.twitter.com/XFqTOqlEpe
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 5, 2026
Vance argued the result reflected a changing Democratic coalition.
“He basically represents the modern Democratic coalition, which is self-hating white liberals united to people who just came to the country for the first time and don’t actually have the sense of appreciation for it that they should.”
The vice president also suggested universities have helped shape that coalition by promising students economic success while leaving many burdened with debt and frustrated about their futures.
“A lot of universities sold these kids a bill of goods.”
He continued:
“The base of the Democratic Party today is downwardly mobile, hyper-progressive, well-educated people… who have a lot of debt, but not a good job to show for it.”
Vance’s comments came one day after filmmaker Michael Moore celebrated El-Sayed’s victory on CNN, urging Democrats to reject the party establishment after what he described as repeated electoral failures. President Donald Trump later piled on, blasting Moore on Truth Social and calling him a “LOWLIFE” while labeling El-Sayed his “Communist Comrade.”
El-Sayed’s victory has become one of the defining political stories of the week.
The former public health official overcame a massive financial disadvantage to defeat Stevens despite heavy outside spending supporting her campaign. His win is widely viewed as a significant victory for the Democratic Party’s progressive wing, even as some Democratic strategists question whether his platform will appeal to enough swing voters in November.
With the primary behind him, El-Sayed is now expected to consolidate Democratic support before facing Trump-endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in a race likely to attract national attention and tens of millions more in campaign spending.
DBS WIRE SOURCES
- Mediaite – JD Vance blames El-Sayed’s win on “self-hating white liberals”
- The Wall Street Journal – Progressive victory in Michigan Senate primary deepens Democratic divide
- Axios Detroit – El-Sayed wins Michigan Democratic Senate primary
