Progressive Candidates Test Democratic Future in Michigan and Wisconsin

Progressive candidates Francesca Hong and Abdul El-Sayed are testing the direction of the Democratic Party in upcoming elections in Michigan and Wisconsin. Their campaigns for state-level offices are viewed as tests of Sanders-style populism, which they hope the party will adopt by the 2028 presidential election.

The question of whether the United States is ready for a more left-leaning political direction has haunted Democrats for a decade. Many within the party establishment fear that Hong and El-Sayed cannot win the general election in November. Hong, who describes herself as a democratic socialist and is running for Wisconsin governor, is leading polls ahead of Tuesday's primary, despite efforts by the party establishment to stop her.

El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, has urged potential 2028 presidential candidates to embrace "Medicare for All" and other components of his populist agenda. Progressives have long argued that Democrats have lost the White House to Donald Trump twice not because voters see them as too far left, but because they are perceived as champions of a broken status quo.

Hong, a restaurant owner and state representative in Wisconsin, has garnered national attention by advocating for affordability and supporting a moratorium on data center construction. Her campaign has also faced criticism for past social media posts calling to "cancel Thanksgiving." El-Sayed, a former public health official, has campaigned on abolishing ICE and expanding Medicare to all Americans.

Both Hong and El-Sayed have faced criticism for past comments supporting "defunding the police," from which both have since walked back. Republicans have treated both El-Sayed and Hong similarly, portraying them as extreme and out of touch. Hong still needs to win Tuesday's primary, and her opponent David Crowley argues that Hong would be a liability for Democrats in the fall.