Primary elections 2026 live updates: Sen. Bernie Sanders not comfortable with Abdul El-Sayed’s ties to far-left streamer Hasan Piker

DETROIT — Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s team just told the crowd at the watch party that “Abdul will be speaking no later than 1 am.”

“And if we get a call before then, you’ll hear from him sooner,” his staffer added.

The crowd at the watch party has thinned out considerably.

DETROIT — The hotly anticipated showdown between Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens has turned into an unexpected nail-biter. 

Despite averaging a 10-point lead in the RealClearPolitics aggregate of polls, El-Sayed’s edge stands at about 3 percentage points with 57% of the vote in. 

Given the history of Wayne County, which encompasses Detroit, dumping results late at night, the race isn’t expected to be called until at least the wee early morning hours. 

DETROIT — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) indicated that he’s uneasy with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s ties to controversial streamer Hasan Piker.

“No, I am not,” he told CNN when asked. “On the other hand, he has a whole lot of followers and a lot of things that he’s saying are making sense to a lot of people.

“I think we have to get above cancel culture. You know when you’re doing radio podcast three hours a day, you say dumb things,” he added. “I think what we have got to do is look at the totality of where people are coming from, and go forward.”

DETROIT — Rep. John James clinched the Republican nomination for Michigan governor Tuesday, teeing up a tough general election contest against Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.

James, a two-time Senate candidate who has repped parts of suburban Detroit since 2023, overcame a primary challenge from businessman Perry Johnson, who made a longshot bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

James led 50% to 36% with about a fourth of the votes counted when the Associated Press called the race at 10:24 p.m. EDT.

Backed by President Trump, James was considered the front-runner throughout the campaign and solidified his status with former state AG Mike Cox, former state House Speaker Tom Leonard, and Michigan Senate GOP Leader Aric Nesbitt all dropping out and endorsing him.

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DETROIT — Aisha Farooqi, the more progressive candidate in the race to succeed Haley Stevens in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District, lost to Jeremy Moss.

Stevens has managed to narrow the gap a bit as more returns come in for the Senate race, which is widely seen as a test of whether hardcore progressives can be more electable than moderate Dems.

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Missouri voters rejected a ballot measure in Tuesday’s primary election that would’ve abolished state income taxes.

While nine states have phased out individual income taxes, Missouri voters apparently feared an increase in other forms of taxation to make up for the revenue loss.

The measure, Amendment No. 5, was rejected by an 84%-16% vote, with about a fifth of the ballots tallied. Missouri GOP Gov. Mike Kehoe backed eliminating the income tax.

Opponents of the change claimed that the state’s highest earners would’ve benefitted the most, while public areas like schools, prisons and social services would’ve been directly impacted.

Concerns were also expressed about the potential for expanded sales taxes across the state in response to the income tax phase-out.

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Army veteran Michael Bouchard emerged victorious Tuesday in the Republican primary for Michigan’s 10th Congressional District. 

Bouchard, a Bronze Star recipient, garnered 73.8% of the vote in the contest. 

The district, rated lean Republican by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, is being vacated by Rep. John James (R-Mich.), who is running for governor in the Wolverine State.

President Trump endorsed Bouchard in June. 

Former prosecutor Christina Hines; former state lawmaker Tim Greimel; and lawyer Eric Chung are running in the district’s Democratic primary, which is still too close to call. 

DETROIT — No alcohol is being served at Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s watch party, a bartender told The Post.

Instead, guests were given water, soda, Red Bull and mocktails.

Should he win the Senate race, El-Sayed will become the first Muslim senator in US history. Many attendees donned T-shirts with slogans such as “Muslims for Abdul.”

The Post also observed what appeared to be an Islamic prayer on the sidelines of his watch party.

Kansas voters rejected a ballot measure Tuesday seeking to make the state Supreme Court an elected office, with six-year terms for justices. 

The measure, which would’ve abolished the state’s nominating commission for justices on the high court, was opposed by 70% of voters. 

Republicans, upset with the court’s recent support for abortion rights, pushed the ballot measure in an effort to replace gubernatorial appointments to the high court with elected justices. 

DETROIT, Mich. — “Squad” Rep. Rashida Tlaib has won her primary, according to a projection by DecisionDeskHQ.

She faced a challenge from Democrats Shanelle Jackson and Byron Nolen.

Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens’ election watch party doesn’t seem to have as many attendees compared to her opponent Abdul El-Sayed’s event before polls across the Wolverine State officially closed.

Photos show Stevens’ event — located just up the road from El-Sayed’s party in Detroit — lacking in crowd compared to her socialist challenger.

El-Sayed’s watch party has reportedly drawn hundreds of supporters, with fellow lefties such as Melat Kiros and Kat Abughazaleh spotted in the crowd.

Polls began closing at 7 p.m. local time in Michigan.

Cori Bush lost her bitter Democratic primary against incumbent Rep. Wesley Bell Tuesday, two years after the former “Squad” lawmaker vowed to take revenge against the pro-Israel group that contributed to her political downfall. 

The race in Missouri’s deep-blue 1st Congressional District was a rematch of the 2024 contest, which saw the Democratic socialist Bush ousted by Bell, a moderate St. Louis County prosecutor backed by nearly $9 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and its aligned super-PACs. 

Bush had hoped to ride the wave of anti-Israel sentiment that has propelled several far-left Democrats this cycle back to her old House seat. 

The 50-year-old former Black Lives Matter organizer came up dramatically short, losing to Bell 71%-26%, when the Associated Press called the race at 9:02 p.m. ET.

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