Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated incumbent Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who was backed by the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC and the Democratic establishment, in the Michigan State Senate Democratic primary. El-Sayed's campaign faced tens of millions of dollars in spending from AIPAC and other special interest groups. This victory was hailed by supporters as a shock to the American political system and was called "the most extraordinary victory in modern American political history" by progressive Senator Bernie Sanders. AIPAC stated that while disappointed by the loss of some supported candidates, it would continue to invest funds in the November general election to prevent El-Sayed from winning.