MICHIGAN RACE ENDS WITH ACRIMONY AND FUNKY POLLS — AGAIN.
asserted
RACE → end → ACRIMONY
The contest to be the next senator from Michigan is ending with the Democratic Party consumed in anger and turmoil — and with the party’s nominee, Abdul el Sayed, increasing his lead in a poll that seems too good to be true for Democrats.
asserted
that → end → Democrats
The acrimony stems from the final act in the monthslong dispute between el Sayed and Haley Stevens, the Democratic member of Congress el Sayed narrowly defeated in the August party primary.
asserted
Sayed → stem → primary
After many hints that she might not support el Sayed, Stevens rocked the party Sunday morning by endorsing Republican candidate Mike Rogers.
uncertain
Stevens → support → Rogers
Recommended Stories
Stevens was immediately beset by angry denunciations from her Democratic colleagues, or former colleagues.
asserted
Stevens → beset → colleagues
“Congresswoman Stevens is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future,” said Curtis Hertel, who is the chairman of the state party.
asserted
who → say → party
In Washington, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) hinted at future punishment.
asserted
Jeffries → hint → punishment
“Haley Stevens made a terrible decision, blindsided everyone and isolated herself from the House Democratic caucus,” Jeffries said.
asserted
Jeffries → make → caucus
“We will have a discussion about appropriate steps upon our return.”
asserted
We → have → return
Also in Washington, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said, “This is a despicable betrayal from Rep. Stevens.”
asserted
This → say → Stevens
And Neera Tanden, a party activist who was a senior adviser in the Biden White House, said, “Standing with Mike Rogers is a betrayal of everything Haley Stevens has fought for her entire career.
asserted
Stevens → say → career
It’s also a betrayal of all of her supporters that believed her.
asserted
that → ’ → her
Stevens also took a beating in the press.
asserted
Stevens → take → press
In an appearance with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, she found her motives and reasoning challenged so aggressively that she said, “It sounds like you’re upset with me, too, Anderson.”
asserted
you → find → me
Indeed it did.
asserted
it → do → ?
Stevens surely knew how her party would react, but perhaps she thought she might receive better treatment in the media.
uncertain
she → know → media
After all, look at the praise lavished on former Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney when she broke with her party in 2024 and appeared with the Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.
asserted
she → look → candidate
But that was then — remember that Cheney was turning on Donald Trump — and this is now.
asserted
this → remember → Trump
If Haley Stevens thought she would receive the media’s “Liz Cheney Country Over Party” award, she was sadly mistaken.
asserted
she → think → award
On Saturday, before Stevens’ announcement, el Sayed said he did not want Stevens to attend a big party unity event on Sunday.
asserted
Stevens → say → Sunday
“I don’t want any distractions,” el Sayed said.
asserted
Sayed → want → distractions
Let’s just say that el Sayed did not get his wish.
asserted
Sayed → let → wish
At the same time, el Sayed had to be pleased with the results of the final New York Times/Siena poll of the race.
asserted
Sayed → have → race
The survey put el Sayed ahead by 11 points, 53% to Rogers’s 42%, by far his largest lead of the campaign.
asserted
survey → put → campaign
The poll immediately seemed like an outlier.
asserted
poll → seem → outlier
Seven recent polls listed in the RealClearPolitics average showed el Sayed with a lead from 1 to 7 points.
asserted
polls → list → points
The New York Times had it at 11, which felt like it was in line with the unreliable polling that has bedeviled this race and others.
asserted
that → have → race
In the Democratic primary, el Sayed went into election day with a 10.2-percentage-point lead over Stevens, according to the RealClearPolitics average.
uncertain
Sayed → go → average
In the actual election results, el Sayed won by exactly 1 point.
asserted
Sayed → win → point
Even before primary election day, when el Sayed was contending not only with Stevens but with Michigan state legislator Mallory McMorrow, unreliable polling played a part in the race.
asserted
polling → contend → race
In late June, a poll appeared seemingly out of nowhere from an outfit called “Wedgewood Polls” showing el Sayed at 46% and Stevens at 39%, while McMorrow’s support, which had been in the mid-teens and 20s, fell to 9%.
asserted
which → appear → %
Calls arose for McMorrow to quit the race, which she did, leaving it to el Sayed and Stevens.
asserted
she → arise → Sayed
Later, Wedgewood Polls published a statement on X revealing that the organization was fake and the poll was fake.
asserted
poll → publish → X
In a post on its now-deleted account, the group wrote, “We wanted to test a simple hypothesis: How easy is it for an entirely fabricated polling firm to gain traction, to be taken seriously, and expose how little scrutinization exists in media and public commentary?
asserted
scrutinization → delete → media
It’s still not clear; it might have been some Democratic dirty trick designed to boost el Sayed or Stevens.
uncertain
it → ’ → Sayed
“Here’s the impact of this ‘experiment,'” she wrote on X. “Donations dried up.
asserted
Donations → ’ → X.
Volunteers were devastated and pleading for guidance on what to do.
asserted
Volunteers → devastate → what
Reporters hounded me with calls to drop out.”
asserted
Reporters → hound → calls
So McMorrow left the race to el Sayed and Stevens.
asserted
McMorrow → leave → Sayed
New York Times journalists seemed clearly nervous about it.
asserted
journalists → seem → it
…and 21 more, not listed.
The Aporia
