A growing Democratic Party power struggle is spilling into the open as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) back opposing candidates in Michigan’s closely watched Senate primary.
Warren endorsed far-left Abdul El-Sayed on Monday in the race to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), placing herself directly against Schumer, who is supporting Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI).
The competing endorsements expose the widening divide between the Democrat establishment and the party’s progressive wing, which is attempting to expand its influence in Congress.
Warren Joins Progressive Push for El-Sayed
Warren announced her endorsement just hours after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) appeared with El-Sayed at a campaign event.
In a video announcing her support, Warren praised El-Sayed for rejecting corporate campaign contributions.
“The only candidate in this race not taking corporate money, and he’s fighting to get money out of politics altogether,” Warren said.
“And make no mistake,” she continued.
“Abdul is the only candidate in this race who can build the grassroots movement needed to win in November.
“More money in your pocket, to get money out of politics and deliver ‘Medicare-for-all.’
“Michigan, let’s get this done.”
The endorsement marks a shift for Warren, who had previously supported Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow before she withdrew from the race earlier this month.
McMorrow opposed “Medicare-for-all,” a policy Warren has championed for years.
El-Sayed has faced scrutiny over previous social media posts, including calls to “defund the police” by redirecting taxpayer money away from purchasing “war materiel to wage war in our streets.”
Schumer Backs Establishment Candidate
Schumer waited until the Democrat field narrowed before publicly endorsing Stevens, though he had reportedly supported her privately during the crowded primary.
“I think she has the best chance to win,” Schumer told Punchbowl News last month.
Stevens has also received endorsements from Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), and Peters.
El-Sayed’s supporters include Warren, Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA).
Neither Stevens nor El-Sayed has committed to backing Schumer as Democratic leader in the next Congress.
El-Sayed has also said he has not spoken with Schumer during the campaign.
El-Sayed Targets Democratic Establishment
El-Sayed has openly framed his campaign as a direct challenge to the Democratic Party’s existing leadership and fundraising structure.
He told Politico that Schumer and other party leaders oppose his effort to remove corporate money from politics because Schumer’s “whole approach is that you get to go talk to the money people and then dole out their corporate money to help elect the people who are going to do the things that corporations want.”
“So, of course, they’re freaking out,” El-Sayed said.
“They’re not freaking out because they think I’m going to lose.
“They’re freaking out because they think I’m going to win.”
The Michigan contest is not the first Senate race to expose divisions between Warren and Schumer.
Warren previously backed former Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, while Schumer worked behind the scenes to recruit Maine Gov. Janet Mills into that race.
The Michigan primary now represents another major test of whether the Democrat establishment can maintain control over the party’s nominees or whether its increasingly organized progressive wing can displace candidates favored by longtime leaders.
READ MORE – New York Times Accused of Burying Bombshell Allegation to Protect Chuck Schumer
