Abdul El-Sayed's Supporters Are Elites Too

Who would have guessed?

Here's yet another data point working against the notion that far-left, democratic socialism–friendly candidates are successfully courting the working class: Abdul El-Sayed, the most progressive candidate in the Democratic Senate primary for Michigan, is doing better with college-educated voters than non-college-educated voters.

This information comes courtesy of Detroit News polling, which puts El-Sayed at +7 with college-educated Michiganders who are likely to participate in the upcoming Democratic primary. His primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens (D–Mich.), is up 22 points with likely non-college-educated voters. Moreover, El-Sayed is winning white voters, whereas Stevens—despite being white herself—trails with white voters but is absolutely dominant among black voters: She is +46 in that category.

Detroit News/Glengariff poll | 7/8-7/11 LV

US Senate Michigan Democratic primary 2026 (crosstabs, net)

🟪College: El-Sayed +7
🟩No College: Stevens +22
🟪White: El-Sayed +12
🟩Black: Stevens +46
🟩Already voted: Stevens +9
🟪Election day voters: El-Sayed +18
🟩Still holding on… https://t.co/XS4ZWlvAll pic.twitter.com/UG8kVjcwFm

— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) July 14, 2026

What this means is that Michigan is experiencing the same dynamic as Maine, where ex-candidate Graham Platner had insisted that he was assembling a working class coalition in support of stridently progressive economic policy—even though his general election opponent, incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, was polling better with actual working class voters.

How one defines the working class is somewhat up for debate, of course. Yet the ascendant socialist left fervently believes that theirs is a politics that speaks to the concerns, not of Democratic elites or the party establishment, but of rank-and-file voters who are struggling to get by and see left populism as the answer to their concerns about employment, healthcare, housing, education, and so on.

What polling data seems to reveal, however, is precisely the opposite: It is well-educated—though possibly downwardly mobile—elites who are most drawn to progressivism and democratic socialism. These are 20-somethings with fancy degrees from Columbia University and mountains of student loan debt, not factory workers.

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Comments

[Idaho-Bob]

Abdul El-Sayed, the most progressive candidate in the Democratic Senate primary for Michigan, is doing better with college-educated voters than non-college-educated voters.

This is true with every election in America. It's very obvious where the indoctrination happens.

[JesseAz (RIP CK)]

You can stop calling them elites at any time Robbie. Many of us did 20+ years ago.

We've also pointed out the fact that college education doesn't mean much for decades, given the social sciences and leftist takeover.

[creech]

Yes, it would be interesting to see the college educated group broken down farther by their majors. Do those with engineering degrees poll the same as those with art history? How about accounting majors and poly sci majors? Pre-med and pre-law?

[JesseAz (RIP CK)]

Both med and law are pretty bad. Largely due to their accreditation and licensing agencies that control course work. Both post grads have a shit ton of DEI based topics as required learning.

[SCOTUS gave JeffSarc a big sad]

DEI indoctrination should be criminalized. As should Islamism, and communism.

[gatmac]

Elite (Miriam-Webster): “a group of persons who by virtue of position or education exercise much power or influence”.

44.5% of employed workers in 2024 held Bachelor’s degrees. Equating a bachelor degree with elite is just lying. I am an elite while Gates or Zuckerberg are not?

Political parties are just fronts for intra-elite brokering for power. Do some genuine political analysis and tell us who is actually backing DSA candidates meaning which elites will benefit, and how.

[SCOTUS gave JeffSarc a big sad]

I doubt Robby’s bosses will allow that.

[Rick James]

It's just a phase, they'll grow out of it after college.

[SCOTUS gave JeffSarc a big sad]

And we can always euthanize the ones who don’t.

[MasterThief]

Further analysis would point out that part of this discrepancy with white democrats is that they are an outlier cohort who is racist against their own race. The data makes sense when you highlight it.

[damikesc]

That's kinda key. White progressives are, literally, the ONLY group with a very distinct out-group preference.

[middlefinger]

If the DNC cared about these local races, (as much as Reason seems to) they might wanna disallow old Soviet communists from running in their political party?

[Spiritus Mundi]

And when the DSA candidates wins? Who is at fault then? Reeeeason blaming the 'elites' for the cancer in American politics is no different then the DSA blaming the rich for not 'paying their fair share.'

[Mickey Rat]

"What polling data seems to reveal, however, is precisely the opposite: It is well-educated—though possibly downwardly mobile—elites who are most drawn to progressivism and democratic socialism."

Which it always has been, with Karl Marx as the ur-example of a spendthrift, overly educated brat of an upper middle class family turning to socialism as the cure for his deficiencies in character.

[Minadin]

Not elite. Elitist. People who think far too much of themselves.

[Minadin]

Also, the guy with the Muslim name is polling well in Michigan because a bunch of globalist elitists imported a shit ton of tribalist third world Muslims and settled them there.

[damikesc]

I love how him claiming to be a medical doctor when he extremely was not one is not REMOTELY disqualifying to the media or voters.