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Can a Progressive Win a Purple State?

Jul 27, 2026 · 25m

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Nationwide attention and endorsements are flooding into Michigan as voters get ready to pick their Senate candidates Aug. 4. Why is everybody from President Trump to Bernie Sanders so interested? The path to win the Senate runs straight through this purple state, and that has Democrats battling over whether the progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed or the more centrist U.S. Representative Haley Stevens is the right candidate to put forward. Host Adam Harris talks to Atlantic writer Russell Berman about why Michigan matters and what the outcome of this race could mean for the future of the Democratic Party and the Senate at large. --- Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you…