Internal divisions within the Democratic party over the Israel-Gaza war have taken center stage in Michigan's competitive US Senate primary race.
The conflict continues to shape political campaigns ahead of the November midterms, with progressive candidates leveraging shifts in voter sentiment.
A recent debate highlighted friction between the party's progressive and moderate factions vying for the seat.
"They clearly want one individual and it's not me," Michigan Democratic contender Abdul El-Sayed said, referring to pro-Israel groups like AIPAC spending against him.
"So long as our politicians continue to be bought off by Aipac, do not be surprised when we fight wars that are in their interest to annex Lebanon, or to do genocide in Gaza."
Moderate US Representative Haley Stevens, benefiting from pro-Israel spending, retorted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was "trashing" her on CNN that day, asserting she wasn't afraid to stand up to Israel.
"No one owns my vote and no one owns my policies," she said during the debate.
"Anyone contributing to my Senate campaign is doing so because of my proven record of fighting for Michigan."
Voter Sentiment and Campaign Spending
A June AP poll found roughly half of Democrats believe Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, while nearly 60% say US support for Israel is excessive.
Public figures like former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel have reflected this shift, recently stating US military aid to Israel should cease and declining AIPAC financial support.
The United Democracy Project, an AIPAC-affiliated Super PAC, has spent about $11 million to support Stevens or oppose El-Sayed ahead of the August 4 primary.
"We are trying to ensure that pro-Israel Democrats have a voice in the primary process," said Patrick Dorton, a spokesman for the AIPAC Super PAC.
"There is an insidious attempt by fringe left socialists to drive pro-Israel Democrats out of the party.
We are not going to let what happened to the Labour party in the UK happen to the Democratic party in the United States."
Progressives have secured recent congressional primary victories in New York, Colorado, and New Jersey, but establishment candidates backed by pro-Israel funding have also won races, including Adrian Boafo in Maryland.
"There isn't a one-size-fits-all answer," said Tali deGroot, vice-president of political and digital strategy for J Street, a liberal pro-Israel and pro-peace lobby group.
Former Congressman Andy Levin, who lost his seat to Stevens in 2022 after extensive AIPAC spending, noted that positions on Gaza have become a baseline test of authenticity for many voters.
"There's something about taking a position on Israel, Palestine and Gaza that is about authenticity," Levin said.
"The Gaza issue almost exemplifies now the questions about authenticity and truth-telling in politics that people care about."
Democratic Socialist Wisconsin State Representative Francesca Hong said voters increasingly connect international military expenditures to domestic economic pressures.
"Voters understand that a politician unwilling to fight against the massacre of children abroad (which we're funding), they won't stand up for folks back home," she said.
Darrin Madison, another Wisconsin state representative, identified affordability and the influence of special interest groups in buying elections as top concerns among constituents.
"If you aren't willing to take that stance, what other communities are you willing to abandon?" he asked.
"Is that folks of color, rural communities, working-class communities?"
