In a stunning upset that had the political class reaching for their calculators, Abdul El-Sayed officially clinched Michigan's Democratic nomination for US Senate, proving that when it comes to campaign spending, sometimes less is more - or at least, less is enough to beat $70 million.
"They spent an unprecedented amount of money to beat us," El-Sayed said at his first press conference in downtown Detroit, adding with a shrug: "But it turns out the commercials are the part of the television show most people don't want to watch."
Indeed, the former Detroit health director took on what he called "a machine," noting that "you're not supposed to be able to beat $70m dollars of outside spending - a record amount of money spent in a campaign against a Democrat in a primary in any campaign." But beat it he did, declaring, "What we showed is that the power of our money is greater than the power of their money."
Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, was quick to congratulate the progressive candidates he endorsed, including El-Sayed, along with Will Lawrence and Donavan McKinney, on their "historic victories." Sanders highlighted El-Sayed's triumph over "the entire billionaire class," which spent more than $60 million against him.
Meanwhile, in the nation's capital, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was busy not siding with anyone over a vandalism case involving Olympic canoeist David Hearn and a reflecting pool. Blanche, awaiting Senate confirmation, said he didn't want the "message" that the Department of Justice wasn't fighting crime just because he expressed frustration at the pool's damage. Two Republican holdouts, Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, have agreed to vote for him after he declared a $1.8bn slush fund for Trump's allies dead. But Susan Collins of Maine said she'd vote no, citing the "anti-weaponization fund." Blanche is still courting Lisa Murkowski and Bill Cassidy, with Cassidy musing that he wants an attorney general who "just happens to have once been President Trump's personal attorney," not the other way around.
Also on the Senate docket: Erica Schwartz's nomination to lead the CDC, which could finally give the beleaguered agency a permanent director after almost a year. Schwartz, who previously served as deputy surgeon general, faced questions about how she'd handle RFK Jr.'s vaccine skepticism, given her history of supporting childhood inoculations.
Back in Michigan, Joanna Whaley, a former megachurch pastor who endured 15 years of conversion practices, is set to become the first transgender member of the state legislature after winning her Democratic primary. She defeated Frank Liberati, who had tried to get her disqualified over her name change, and Gary Schlack. Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress, cheered Whaley's victory, noting she "faced indignities from her opponent, channeled the energy into knocking on doors, doubled down on her economic agenda, and defeated that former Dem legislator by 30+%!"
Democrats are largely rallying around El-Sayed. California Governor Gavin Newsom congratulated him on a "hard-fought victory," while Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin stressed the importance of uniting to keep the seat blue. Even Mallory McMorrow, who suspended her campaign in July but still pulled over 60,000 votes, gave El-Sayed her "full endorsement."
Republicans, predictably, are not amused. Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton took to X to declare that "the Democratic party has lost its mind," and lashed out at Chris Murphy for celebrating El-Sayed's win. Meanwhile, Aipac, which spent roughly $30m trying to defeat El-Sayed, vowed to oppose him in the general election, presumably by throwing more money at the problem. Mike Rogers, the GOP nominee, framed the choice as between "common sense and complete insanity," which is a bold take from a guy who ran unopposed.
The ripple effects extend to Michigan's 13th congressional district, where Donavan McKinney, a 34-year-old state lawmaker backed by progressives, ousted two-term incumbent Shri Thanedar. McKinney, who campaigned on ending military aid to Israel and called the war in Gaza a "genocide," won by almost four points, marking a shift in the majority-Black Detroit area's representation.
As El-Sayed basks in his victory, he's already looking ahead to November, where he'll face Rogers. With the GOP and Aipac gearing up, the "machine" isn't done spending. But El-Sayed seems confident: "The power of our money is greater than the power of their money." We'll see if that holds when the general election ads start airing.