In Abdul We Trust
Michigan's contentious Democratic primary is reaching its finish line, and Abdul El-Sayed holds the edge
Hello Guerrilla Pressians!
As you may have noticed from our videos, we have settled into our new studio on the border of Lakeview and Lincoln Park.
I’d like to personally send a shout-out to EJ, Alice, Brandon, Tanner, and Sykes for stepping up and making this transition as seamless as possible. We’re going to continue to flush out the space with things that are personal to us, like the PowerGlove now proudly displayed over my shoulder, but for all intents and purposes, we’re moved!
And with that, we are going to put the studio to good use very soon, as we have some big interviews lined up. This week alone we’ll have Dylan Blaha, School Board candidate Karen Zaccor, and our OG guest, Kat Abughazaleh in-house.
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Speaking of daily content, Sykes and I decided to make today all about the Michigan, Maine, and South Carolina primaries.
The darling of the progressive left, Abdul El-Sayed, continues to dominate in the Michigan primary polls over his opponent, Haley Stevens. The race has become indicative of the ongoing war for the soul of the Democratic Party playing out across the country.
DSA-endorsed Sayed has refused to take any money from corporations and is centering all of his platforms around improving the day-to-day lives of Michiganders, while centrist Stevens has welcomed tens of millions of dollars from outside entities, including the AIPAC-aligned United Democracy Project.
The brief and much less contentious Democratic primary in Maine is taking place in the wake of Graham Platner’s withdrawal. Most on the left have coalesced around Troy Jackson, who carries many of Platner’s policies with him, even if he doesn’t have the same level of charisma.
Once the midterm comes around, expect a similar AIPAC-centered campaign like we see playing out in Michigan to emerge in Maine, with Susan Collins leveraging her mighty war chest to counter Jackson’s momentum. Considering the general disdain for Trump, combined with the rise of left-wing populism, a milquetoast Jackson does not seem poorly positioned.
And then there is South Carolina, where Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline, is currently serving as interim U.S. Senator in his seat. To the shock and confusion of many in the state, Darline is not just going to honor her late brother with a few months in office. No, she’s decided she wants to run for a full term, and has received Donald Trump’s personal endorsement.
With no meaningful political experience under her belt, other Republican candidates, like Rep. Russell Fry, a Trump sycophant, are pushing forward with their own primary campaigns. Since no clear frontrunner is in place, South Carolina could create another midterms pickup opportunity for Democrats as they seek to take back the Senate majority. It only takes four flips!
And as all this plays out, Sykes wanted to make sure we talked about Mayor Zohran Mamdani threatening to arrest Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu if he steps foot in New York City. Oh Captain, My Captain. We can only hope for more Democratic leadership like this on the other side of the midterms.
Enjoying the work that Guerrilla Press is doing? Subscribe to us on YouTube, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform to get great content like this new interview I conducted with community organizer and friend of Guerrilla Press, Nick Uniejewski!