Today, Representative Haley Stevens lost the Michigan Senate Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed. Michigan’s primary was one of the most brutal in recent history, with frequent clashes and personal attacks between the two frontrunners.
Following her loss, by less than 1% (which was significantly closer than polls had suggested), she called El-Sayed to concede, and endorsed his campaign.
Despite how brutal the primary was, Stevens put party over politics and gracefully admitted defeat, vowing to help El-Sayed beat Republican Mike Rogers in the general election.
This is a necessity in purple states such as Michigan, where just 57% of Stevens voters said they would vote for El-Sayed if he won the primary.
In a close primary such as this one, it is essential that the losing candidate endorses the winning one in order to unite the party behind a single candidate.
Compare this to Jasmine Crockett, who lost the Texas Senate primary months ago and reluctantly endorsed the victorious James Talarico. Her endorsement was not the problem, but rather the way she acted towards Talarico following her loss.
She stated that she would not “make plans” to campaign with him, despite saying she would “absolutely” if he won, in a statement made before the election.
Recently, Talarico has polled slightly ahead of opponent Ken Paxton. In a statement made today, she stated that she doesn’t know if Talarico can win the primary, saying that she doesn’t believe the polls in the Texas race.
This is not how a losing candidate, who could rally the support of the key electorate Talarico needs to beat Paxton (Black voters, who she won in the primary).
Democrats need to abandon this sore loser attitude if they want to win the midterms. If a Democrat loses a primary, especially in a purple state, they need to endorse and campaign with their opponent in order to increase the chances of winning the general election.
Yes, it hurts to lose, especially in close races like Texas and Michigan, but the most honorable and strategic decision is to help your party win, even if you cant.