[International] Leftist Wins Michigan Primary, Heightening Democratic Anxiety

Primary elections for both parties in the US midterm elections have been enthusiastically held in various states recently. In Michigan, a leftist candidate for the Democratic Senate, Said, defeated the veteran incumbent Representative Stevens, once again causing anxiety among top Democratic officials about whether excessive left-leaning would be detrimental to congressional seats and future presidential elections. The US will hold midterm elections in November, with 35 Senate seats and all 435 House seats up for election. The Democratic camp has a chance to flip control of both houses of Congress, but they are concerned that the rise of leftist forces will be unfavorable to the overall election situation. The Republican Party is on full defense, aiming to avoid a lame-duck administration. President Trump (Donald Trump) supports his faction's candidates, and some veteran establishment figures have reluctantly stepped down. The primaries held on the 5th in five states were considered the "Super Tuesday" of midterm primaries, with national attention focused on Michigan. Abdul El-Sayed, a 41-year-old Egyptian-American public health scholar, narrowly defeated four-term Representative Haley Stevens to represent the Democratic Party in the Senate race. El-Sayed supports implementing universal healthcare, replacing the current Medicare program available only to those over 65, and has strongly criticized Israeli military actions. He describes himself as a progressive, not a democratic socialist. Michigan, a swing state, was crucial for Trump's two election victories. The Democratic Party is eager to win a Senate seat there. El-Sayed will face former Republican Representative Mike Rogers. Top Democratic officials worry that the overly leftist El-Sayed has a lower chance of winning. Since Zohran Mamdani, who calls himself a democratic socialist, was elected mayor of New York late last year, leftist forces within the Democratic Party have grown significantly. They advocate for more progressive policies to confront the Republican Trump forces, and calls for supporting Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for president have not diminished. After members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), supported by Mamdani, defeated several incumbent members of Congress in New York primaries, several leftist candidates also won in primaries in Colorado, Oregon, Georgia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania, and will represent the Democratic Party in Congress and state legislatures. Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old Ethiopian immigrant, defeated 30-year incumbent Representative Diana DeGette in a Colorado congressional primary in early July. Top Democratic officials are concerned that the rise of leftist forces will be detrimental to the Democratic Party's national election prospects. Trump is pleased to see voices of discontent with the establishment emerging within the Democratic Party, and he has repeatedly described the new figures emerging from recent Democratic primaries as "communists" in public forums. The Democratic establishment worries that the progressive stances on universal healthcare, rent freezes, AI restrictions, and anti-Israel positions are unrealistic and will instead galvanize Republican supporters, similar to the rise of the right-wing "Tea Party" after 2000. This could jeopardize the goal of achieving a majority in Congress and impact the presidential election in two years. (Editor: Liu Xianghua)