Mixed Bag for Progressives in Michigan

August 3, 2022

UPDATE 11:12pm: Rep. Haley Stevens (D) has defeated Rep. Andy Levin (D) in a particularly expensive member-on-member primary fight in MI-11. Levin's defeat represents a victory for the pro-Israel wing of the party, which targeted Levin with seven-figure ad campaigns for months.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D) has defeated Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey by a healthy margin, turning back an intra-party challenge from her right for the second consecutive cycle.

A member-on-member primary in Michigan's 11th District is threatening the state's progressive wing, as a founding Squad member looks to move past a crowded intra-party field in the neighboring 12th.

Reps. Haley Stevens and Andy Levin, both Democrats, were drawn into the same district by the GOP-led state legislature, setting up a grueling proxy war in the long-simmering struggle between the moderate and left wings of the party. Stevens has racked up endorsements from the likes of Hillary Clinton and AIPAC, while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) held a get-out-the-vote rally for Levin over the weekend. The race has been expensive, with pro-Israel groups pouring seven figures behind Stevens. Meanwhile, Sanders-aligned Our Revolution has been mobilizing on Levin's behalf.

Next door, Rep. Rashida Tlaib finds herself facing credible challenges for the second cycle in a row. This time, it's Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey carrying the moderate flag into electoral battle. Emphasizing her bipartisan approach to politics, Winfrey is betting that the district's voters have tired of Tlaib's reputation as a partisan lightning rod for controversy. Her campaign is a longshot, lagging in fundraising and on-the-ground organization.

Follow along with both races HERE