Dear MoveOn member,
In 14 days, Michigan voters will decide something bigger than one Senate seat.
Abdul El-Sayed is running for U.S. Senate on a simple, bold promise: Medicare for All, an economy that works for the working class, and a Democratic Party that stops playing it safe and starts fighting. It’s no wonder he’s electrifying crowds, and has the backing of Senator Bernie and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.1 El-Sayed's opponent, Representative Haley Stevens, is backed by the same corporate money and cautious politics that have left millions of voters feeling like neither party is on their side.2
This race is a bellwether. If a candidate like El-Sayed can win a top-tier statewide primary in a purple state like Michigan, it proves something the political establishment doesn't want proven: that bold, working-class economic populism wins. If he loses—buried under an avalanche of outside spending—the consultant class will use it as "evidence" that Democrats should keep playing it safe.
For the future of our country, we can't let that happen.
Here's what El-Sayed is up against: Donald Trump donors and outside groups linked to AIPAC, crypto interests, and AI industry money have now spent an estimated $50 million to defeat him—much of it in attack ads distorting his record.3 And while El-Sayed had been ahead in the polls, the most recent polls suggest he has lost substantial ground and is now trailing Stevens by as much as 7 points.4
This is exactly the pattern we've seen time and again: a well-funded, cautious campaign gets propped up by outside spending against a candidate who threatens the status quo.
We're launching a sharp counterattack: high-visibility billboards across Michigan that cut through the Super PAC noise with the truth about El-Sayed's record—placed where voters can't miss them, on their way to work, to the store, to the polls. It's one of the most direct ways we can fight back in these final 14 days—on top of all our voter turnout work—and we need to fund it now.
We cannot let corporate PAC money win. That's where MoveOn comes in—and you—come in. Can you chip in $9 right now to help us put up billboards and reach more Michigan voters before Election Day? (If you have saved your payment information with ActBlue, your donation will go straight through.)
Here's what your support makes possible: MoveOn members are talking directly with Michigan voters—by phone, text, and mail—to cut through the noise and make sure they know the truth about El-Sayed's record before Election Day. We're putting up billboards, if we can raise the money, and running our own ads to tell his story on our terms, not the Super PACs’. And in these final days, we're mobilizing volunteers across the state for one last push to get every possible vote for El-Sayed to the polls. With more resources, we can reach more voters—which is urgently needed given that El-Sayed looks to be losing ground.
None of this is funded by AIPAC-sized checks. It's funded by people like you—in Michigan and across the country—who understand that what happens in this primary won't impact only Michigan.
Fourteen days from now, either a grassroots movement proves that bold economic populism can win a top-tier statewide race, or corporate money and outside spending prove they can still buy a Democratic primary.
There is no future for the Democratic Party, or our country, if we let big money keep dictating who gets to run and win.
This is our last chance to help close the gap with our grassroots movement. Will you chip in $9, or whatever you can afford, to help MoveOn put up billboards and reach voters before August 4? (If you have saved your payment information with ActBlue, your donation will go straight through.)
Michigan is deciding something for all of us. Not just who represents one state in the Senate but whether our party has the courage to fight for working people, or whether corporate money gets to keep calling the shots. The answer to that question will shape races—and lives—far beyond Michigan for years to come.
Thanks for all you do.
–Joel, Mark, Emma, Allison K., and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Meet Abdul," Abdul for Senate, accessed July 17, 2026
https://abdulforsenate.com/about/
2. "Barack Obama hasn’t endorsed a Michigan Senate candidate. An AIPAC-linked group is spending millions on ads with him anyway," CNN, July 17, 2026
https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/17/politics/obama-michigan-senate-stevens-el-sayed-ads
3. "El-Sayed releases tax return ahead of primary," The Hill, July 15, 2026
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5970084-michigan-el-sayed-tax-returns/
4. "Stevens holds 7-point lead over El-Sayed in Michigan Senate Democratic primary polling," The Hill, July 16, 2026
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5971801-stevens-el-sayed-michigan-poll/
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