Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Abdul El-Sayed’s upset victory in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary may be about much more than one candidate or one election.
Michael Smerconish argues that the rise of democratic socialism inside the Democratic Party bears striking similarities to the Tea Party’s insurgency inside the Republican Party more than a decade ago: anger at the party establishment, grassroots energy, candidates overcoming massive spending disadvantages, polling misses, and a movement increasingly forcing party leaders to fall in line.
The Tea Party didn’t just influence the Republican Party — eventually, it helped remake it and paved the way for Donald Trump. Could the Democratic Party now be undergoing a similar transformation from the left?
And if so, the biggest question may not be whether El-Sayed can win Michigan in November. It may be: who eventually becomes the movement’s standard-bearer?
Abdul El-Sayed’s upset victory in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary may be about much more than one candidate or one election.
Michael Smerconish argues that the rise of democratic socialism inside the Democratic Party bears striking similarities to the Tea Party’s insurgency inside the Republican Party more than a decade ago: anger at the party establishment, grassroots energy, candidates overcoming massive spending disadvantages, polling misses, and a movement increasingly forcing party leaders to fall in line.
The Tea Party didn’t just influence the Republican Party — eventually, it helped remake it and paved the way for Donald Trump. Could the Democratic Party now be undergoing a similar transformation from the left?
And if so, the biggest question may not be whether El-Sayed can win Michigan in November. It may be: who eventually becomes the movement’s standard-bearer?
