Abdul El-Sayed's victory in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary has become an "earthquake for the Democratic Party old guard," an analyst reported Wednesday.
Investigative journalist Ken Klippenstein detailed in his Substack how the historic upset was something Democrats hadn't seen since the rise of former President Barack Obama.
"The irony here is that Obama actually won the 2008 presidential primary by less than El-Sayed — just half a percent of the popular vote," Klippenstein explained.
"This is a massive defeat for the Democratic Party old guard and an affirmation that the new crop of outsider, renegade candidates are the people’s choice," Klippenstein wrote.
This has stunned the party's leadership.
"Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — basically the entire Democratic establishment endorsed Haley Stevens, a textbook party stooge. For her to still lose is a repudiation and humiliation of not just Stevens but the entire political death star behind her," Klippenstein wrote.
He added that the win should be a sign of where the party will head next.
"But the real story here is bigger than El-Sayed," Klippenstein wrote. "It’s that voters were not swayed by an avalanche of big money and big people. Instead, they hoisted a bigger finger than we’ve seen since Barack Obama’s own primary upset in 2008, when he defeated party leader-approved Hillary Clinton. Any media outlet that doesn’t acknowledge that is on the side of big money and big people."