// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Left-wing political outsider wins Democratic Senate primary in Michigan
Watch: El-Sayed promotes progressive platform after Michigan Senate primary win
Left-wing political outsider Abdul El-Sayed is projected to win Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, a race that exposed bitter divisions within the party over its future direction.
The former public health official is on track to narrowly beat moderate Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens, according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner.
"In the words of Mohammad Ali, 'We shook up the world,'" El-Sayed said, quoting the famed boxer's declaration after his underdog defeat of Sonny Liston in 1964.
He will face Republican and Trump ally Mike Rogers, in November's midterm elections. If elected, El-Sayed would become the first Muslim to serve in the US senate.
The final result was much closer than El-Sayed's camp had expected, with fewer than 15,000 votes - a margin of just under 1 percentage point out of more than 1.5 million ballots counted - separating him from Stevens as of late Wednesday morning.
"The movement to get money out of politics, put money in your pocket, and pass Medicare for All is a big movement," El-Sayed said on Wednesday, echoing a familiar refrain he had used on the campaign trail.
"I want to congratulate Abdul El-Sayed on winning the Democratic nomination for US Senate," Stevens said in a statement. "He is a doctor, a community health official, a Rhodes Scholar, and a dedicated Michigander. I am proud to offer my support as he takes on Mike Rogers in the general election."
The November midterm elections will determine the balance of power in Washington for the last two years of President Donald Trump's time in office.
Trump declared the Michigan Senate result "Great news for the Republican Party".