Progressive candidates draw back Michigan voters who left Democrats over Gaza

Zainab Bibi Ahmed, an academic staffer at Wayne State University in Troy, Michigan, voted for the Green Party’s Jill Stein in November 2024 after becoming disenchanted with Democratic support for Israel’s actions in Gaza. Two years earlier she had told herself she would never vote Democratic again. This month she is knocking on doors and making phone calls for Abdul El‑Sayed, the party’s nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan. Ahmed said she did not think she would come back to the Democratic Party after 2024, but seeing El‑Sayed and other progressive candidates changed her mind.

Her shift mirrors a wave of progressive victories since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. New York City mayor‑elect Zohran Mamdani won an unlikely race last year, and Peggy Flanagan secured the Democratic Senate nomination in Minnesota last week. In Michigan, El‑Sayed heads a slate that includes attorney general hopeful Eli Savit, U.S. House nominees Will Lawrence and Donavan McKinney, state House nominee Chris Gilmer‑Hill, and Ann Arbor mayoral candidate Yousef Rabhi.

Michigan’s primary election this month drew 2.5 million voters, a significant increase from the two million who participated in the 2024 state primary. Party officials say the surge reflects enthusiasm for El‑Sayed’s progressive, pro‑Palestinian platform and hope it will bring back reluctant Democrats.

Waqas Sarwar, a Dearborn resident who also voted for Stein in 2024, captured the sentiment with the line “I hate Democrats, but I love Abdul.” He said the party needs fresh blood like El‑Sayed and should pivot on Israel and AIPAC to align with younger voters. Sarwar believes the party must adopt policies that resonate with the base.

Polling shows a majority of Democrats oppose military aid to Israel, a position that has gained traction in Washington. Roughly three‑quarters of Democrats support Medicare for All, and a similar share backs abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement—positions El‑Sayed champions.

Despite these signs, the Democratic Party’s approval rating has fallen to historic lows, at times dipping below former President Trump’s favorability. Sarwar described the party as “totally lost right now.”

Not all disaffected voters are returning. Amin Hashmi, a 63‑year‑old Pakistani American Muslim engineer in Troy, called himself a “solid Democrat” until 2024. He voted for Trump out of desperation, saying the Green Party would not be a useful vote. Hashmi said he was angry at Biden over Israel and hoped Kamala Harris would differ, but saw no substantive shift in foreign policy or outreach to Arab and Muslim communities.

In this month’s primary, Hashmi voted Democratic and backed El‑Sayed over Haley Stevens, whose campaign received heavy AIPAC support. He remains undecided for the general election, saying he could support the Republican nominee, former Representative Mike Rogers, only if the GOP candidate offers a better plan on affordability and local issues such as data centers. Hashmi also voted for progressive Democrat Aisha Farooqi in the 11th district, who lost the primary but would have earned his support in the general had she won.

Samraa Luqman, a Yemeni American political activist in Dearborn, noted that Muslim and Arab Americans have shifted parties before over war, suggesting the current realignment fits a longer pattern.

The evidence points to a tentative rebound of progressive energy within the Michigan Democratic Party, driven by candidates who combine left‑wing policy positions with a clear stance on Gaza. Whether this momentum translates into broader electoral gains remains uncertain, as sizable segments of the electorate continue to wrestle with party loyalty, foreign‑policy concerns, and economic anxieties.