Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, went on a friendly livestream over the weekend and told President Trump to come at him. He predicted that Trump's attacks would turn him into the "main character of the midterms," and said he was entirely comfortable with that. He dismissed his Republican opponent, former Congressman Mike Rogers, as an NPC, which is gamer shorthand for a background character the player never has to think about.
Republicans should accept the invitation without hesitation, because El-Sayed has just volunteered for a job his own party desperately does not want filled.
Consider what being the main character of the midterms actually means. It means that every Democrat in every competitive district in the country spends the fall being asked whether they agree with him. El-Sayed has campaigned on abolishing ICE, Medicare for All, and tuition-free college. He prefers the label progressive to socialist, which is a distinction his platform does not particularly support. If he becomes the face of the ticket, that platform becomes the ticket, from Michigan to North Carolina to Arizona.
This is the third such nomination in as many weeks. Minnesota Democrats chose a candidate who promised to rip ICE apart, by twenty points. Wisconsin Democrats came within half a point of nominating an open democratic socialist for governor. Now Michigan has nominated a man whose stated strategy is to make himself the loudest voice in the country.
The press keeps describing these results as a debate inside the Democratic Party. It is not a debate anymore. Debates have two sides that both win occasionally.
The numbers say this is a real race, and conservatives should treat it that way rather than celebrating early. The first Fox News poll conducted after the primary showed Rogers ahead 51 to 47. Four points, with the seat left open by retiring Senator Gary Peters, in a state where Rogers came about 19,000 votes short in 2024. Republicans hold the Senate 53 to 47. Michigan is one of the races that decides whether that number holds, and a four point lead in August is a lead, not a result.
Which is why the strategic question matters more than the taunt.
El-Sayed is betting that maximum attention benefits him. It is not an unreasonable bet for a candidate whose base lives online and whose energy comes from confrontation. He has done well in that environment, and Republicans who assume he is easy to beat because he says provocative things on streams have not been paying attention to how the last several primaries turned out.
But there is a difference between a Democratic primary electorate and a Michigan general electorate, and it is the difference between an audience that rewards him for abolishing ICE and an electorate in Macomb County that does not. His path requires the general election to feel like the primary. The Republican path requires it to feel like a choice between a platform Michigan voters have already rejected and a candidate who will not be dismantling federal law enforcement.
He wants the spotlight. Give him the spotlight, and then read his platform into it, line by line, in his own words, every day until November.
Mike Rogers does not need to win an argument about who is more interesting. He needs to make sure that when Michigan voters walk into the booth, they know exactly which agenda they are voting on. El-Sayed has generously offered to announce it himself.
Republicans should say thank you and get to work.
He dismissed his Republican opponent, former Congressman Mike Rogers, as an NPC, which is gamer shorthand for a background character the player never has to think about.
Republicans should accept the invitation without hesitation, because El-Sayed has just volunteered for a job his own party desperately does not want filled.
Consider what being the main character of the midterms actually means. It means that every Democrat in every competitive district in the country spends the fall being asked whether they agree with him. El-Sayed has campaigned on abolishing ICE, Medicare for All, and tuition-free college. He prefers the label progressive to socialist, which is a distinction his platform does not particularly support. If he becomes the face of the ticket, that platform becomes the ticket, from Michigan to North Carolina to Arizona.
This is the third such nomination in as many weeks. Minnesota Democrats chose a candidate who promised to rip ICE apart, by twenty points. Wisconsin Democrats came within half a point of nominating an open democratic socialist for governor. Now Michigan has nominated a man whose stated strategy is to make himself the loudest voice in the country.
The press keeps describing these results as a debate inside the Democratic Party. It is not a debate anymore. Debates have two sides that both win occasionally.
The numbers say this is a real race, and conservatives should treat it that way rather than celebrating early. The first Fox News poll conducted after the primary showed Rogers ahead 51 to 47. Four points, with the seat left open by retiring Senator Gary Peters, in a state where Rogers came about 19,000 votes short in 2024. Republicans hold the Senate 53 to 47. Michigan is one of the races that decides whether that number holds, and a four point lead in August is a lead, not a result.
Which is why the strategic question matters more than the taunt.
El-Sayed is betting that maximum attention benefits him. It is not an unreasonable bet for a candidate whose base lives online and whose energy comes from confrontation. He has done well in that environment, and Republicans who assume he is easy to beat because he says provocative things on streams have not been paying attention to how the last several primaries turned out.
But there is a difference between a Democratic primary electorate and a Michigan general electorate, and it is the difference between an audience that rewards him for abolishing ICE and an electorate in Macomb County that does not. His path requires the general election to feel like the primary. The Republican path requires it to feel like a choice between a platform Michigan voters have already rejected and a candidate who will not be dismantling federal law enforcement.
He wants the spotlight. Give him the spotlight, and then read his platform into it, line by line, in his own words, every day until November.
Mike Rogers does not need to win an argument about who is more interesting. He needs to make sure that when Michigan voters walk into the booth, they know exactly which agenda they are voting on. El-Sayed has generously offered to announce it himself.
Republicans should say thank you and get to work.
