Abdul El-Sayed’s projected victory is a triumph for national progressive leaders including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. It is a defeat to Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, the New York senators who respectively lead the Senate Democratic caucus and the Senate Democratic campaign arm. Both Schumer and Gillibrand privately signaled support for Stevens, CNN previously reported.
El-Sayed overcame more than $60 million from outside groups backing his rival. The largest of those groups, United Democracy Project — the super PAC arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) — emerged as a flashpoint in the contest, fueling intense debates over campaign finance and US policy toward Israel.
El-Sayed, an outspoken critic of the war in Gaza who has accused Israel of committing genocide in the war, seized on AIPAC’s intervention, amplifying his criticism of Israel and raising questions about Stevens’ integrity. The outside spending also reinforced a broader establishment vs. anti-establishment dynamic that El-Sayed’s camp embraced.
Pairing that with a focus on universal health care, support for labor, and campaign finance reforms, El-Sayed prevailed in the high-stakes primary fight that became a proxy for the national debate over the direction of the Democratic Party.
Both El-Sayed and Stevens were conciliatory in their remarks to supporters after midnight Tuesday, urging party unity and attacking Rogers.
“I know you’re listening, Mike,” El-Sayed said. “Mike, we are coming for you.”
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who suspended her primary campaign one month ago, quickly endorsed El-Sayed after promising before polls close to endorse the Democratic winner. In a reflection of how close the matchup between Stevens and El-Sayed ultimately was, the margin in the primary was set to be far smaller than the roughly 60,000 votes McMorrow received because she remained on the ballot Tuesday.