MS NOW/SnapStream Ahead of Tuesday’s Michigan Democratic Senate primary between Abdul El-Sayed and incumbent Representative Haley Stevens, MS NOW Capitol Hill correspondent Ali Vitali previewed the race on Monday’s Morning Joe and spent most of her report on Israel and AIPAC, used frequently in attacks on Stevens. In her own later analysis, frequent Morning Joe guest Katty Kay said affordability was really the “primary concern” of the race, and promoted a comparison of El-Sayed to “an early Bill Clinton.”Vitali began her report, “The mittens are off in the Michigan Democratic Senate primary,” and labeled the election as an “intraparty brawl.” On Monday’s Morning Joe, Ali Vitali previewed the Michigan Democratic Senate primary and focused heavily on Israel and the prevalence of AIPAC, a focus of El-Sayed's campaign, in what she called an “intraparty brawl.” pic.twitter.com/tjHB18X2qH— Nick (@nspin310) August 3, 2026 After multiple clips played of El Sayed railing against money poured into the race, Vitali began to parrot his points:El-Sayed is running as a political outsider, bucking the progressive label but boosted by and sounding like many of them.Vitali returned to the issue of election money, as she explained, “The money is central, especially with groups like the pro-Israel AIPAC spending millions to back Stevens.”El-Sayed then stated in an interview with Vitali, “This is a record spend. Now, the big difference is I'm fighting for Medicare for All. I'm willing to say we need to abolish ICE.”As images from Gaza played on screen, El-Sayed remarked, “To me, it is about why are we sending bombs and tanks for no reason to other countries? That doesn't make sense to me.”Vitali continued to focus on Israel in her questions to Stevens: “Is there anything that would make you reassess the U.S. Aid posture towards Israel right now?”In its own form of a promotion of a candidate, Vitali touted Stevens’ “past work with President Obama” and also her work on “affordability.”After the report, former Obama Communications Director Jennifer Palmeri noted the focus of Gaza in the primary campaign, but asked: “Do you have a sense from reporters - from voters, you know, what is weighing most heavily on them and when they're making this choice on the Democratic side?”Vitali answered, “The idea of Gaza certainly is one of the big litmus tests here,” but turned to the war in Iran and everyday costs: “I also heard a lot, though, when I talked to voters, both Trump voters and Democratic voters, that cost of everything is weighing on them. I think the biggest difference was how much patience or leeway they are willing to give the president, for example, on something like gas prices, that they are connecting to the war in Iran." After the long report on the Michigan Democratic Senate Primary, Katty Kay said the real leading issue of the race is affordability, not Israel, as was heavily featured in Ali Vitali’s report.She also shared a comparison from Ron Fournier that compared “El-Sayed to an early… https://t.co/TiWkfPG4l7 pic.twitter.com/bB4lbVmKKO— Nick (@nspin310) August 3, 2026 To close, Katty Kay disagreed with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and said the race wasn’t as much about Israel/Gaza, as was primarily featured in Vitali’s report, and more about “affordability”:And one of the things that she was pointing out is that this has become kind of an election campaign, this Senate race, that got into a fight between about Gaza and Israel. But actually, that is not the primary concern, as Ali was saying, of most Michigan voters. Their primary concern is the concern of voters all around the country. And that's affordability.If affordability was the primary issue, it certainly was not the main focus of the piece.She then promoted a comparison of El-Sayed’s talents to former President Bill Clinton:"And if he does [win], is that because he's a Progressive, or is it because he's a particular political talent? I mean, you've got Ron Fournier comparing El-Sayed to an early Bill Clinton. That's an extraordinary endorsement of his political talents."The transcript from Morning Joe is below. Click "expand":MS NOW’s Morning JoeAugust 3, 20267:41:40 AM Eastern(...)ALI VITALI: Yeah, you're right that there's a lot of eyes on this race, because what we're talking about here is really what does it mean to be a Democrat from Michigan in 2026? The Mitten State is always a battleground, but Tuesday night, the battle between two Democrats, who each say they are best positioned to win this toss-up seat in November with two very distinct messages.[Cuts to video]The mittens are off in the Michigan democratic senate primary.ABDUL EL-SAYED (D-MI): I have no doubt that if you're a corporate PAC, Congresswoman Stevens is really good at getting stuff done for you.REP. HALEY STEVENS (D-MI): It was offensive to hear my opponent say I can't string together two sentences. I certainly did that on the auto rescue.VITALI: This intraparty brawl between doctor Abdul El-Sayed and Congresswoman Haley Stevens will say as much about this perennial battleground as it does the future of the Democratic Party.EL-SAYED: [To crowd] Money out of -CROWD: Politics!VITALI: El-Sayed is running as a political outsider, bucking the Progressive label but boosted by and sounding like many of them.SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): This is an election between Abdul and the billionaire class.EL-SAYED: This is the money versus the many.VITALI: The money is central, especially with groups like the pro-Israel AIPAC spending millions to back Stevens.EL-SAYED: This is a record spend. Now, the big difference is I'm fighting for Medicare for All. I'm willing to say we need to abolish ICE.VITALI: They also differ on continued U.S. Aid to Israel.EL-SAYED: To me, it is about why are we sending bombs and tanks for no reason to other countries? That doesn't make sense to me.VITALI: You've spoken specifically about Israel, but I wonder how that would manifest when it comes to aid of other kinds. So, for example, if you're in the Senate and a Ukraine aid package comes up, would you vote against that?EL-SAYED: So, what I'm against is unconditional foreign military aid. Ukraine aid is not unconditional. We're not just funding the military of Ukraine because we want to. We're funding the Ukrainian military because they are actively fighting a war against a guy who transgressed against their boundaries. That's conditions.VITALI: [To Stevens] Is there anything that would make you reassess the U.S. Aid posture towards the Israel right now?STEVENS: You know, look, I'm running for a six-year term and that is certainly a long runway for issues to continue to evolve. I want the U.S. and Israel to be working together to get aid into Gaza.VITALI: Stevens’ closing pitch is all about receipts.STEVENS: I'm a tough as nails Democrat who wins races and who fights and delivers for people when it matters most.VITALI: Touting past work with President Obama and flipping her House seat while promising action on affordability.STEVENS: We need a manufacturing champion in the halls of the United States Senate. Meaning jobs, meaning lessening our dependence on China through our supply chain to lower those costs.VOTER 1: I’m a fan of Haley Stevens.VITALI: She's backed by most of Michigan's top Democrats.GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): There are few leaders, few leaders with more fight in them than Haley Stevens.VITALI: What should voters read into not just the closing message, but the closing messengers in this race?EL-SAYED: You know, Michiganders understand that the Democratic Party has been a little clique in Michigan for a very long time. And that clique always likes to uplift its own.VITALI: Is Whitmer in the clique?EL_SAYED: Look, corporate Democrats have made their choice. And I think it's time for the folks in Michigan to make theirs.STEVENS: These are folks who fight and win for Michigan. They win tough races. That's what's at stake right now.VITALI: This will be a tough race.TRUMP: Great to be back in Michigan.VITALI: Republican Mike Rogers is back on the ballot after a narrow loss in 2024. So this primary is paramount.(...)7:45:21 AM EasternVITALI: Do you worry about what people say: Can he win? Can he beat the Republicans?VOTER 2: I don't give a crap about that anymore. I'm tired of that negotiated politics.[Cuts back to live]VITALI: That negotiated politics, I think, was a sign of the frustration and pushback on traditional ideas of who's electable. And that's a very real strain within the Democratic Party right now. As we all know, if that sentiment prevails, that's likely good for El-Sayed. There are polls that show him with momentum. But Stevens is the candidate who beats Rogers in the general. Ultimately, we will see.But this seat is a must-win for Democrats if they have any hope of reclaiming control of the Senate. And on Tuesday night, voters are going to give us some real answers about what kind of candidate Progressive versus moderate, insider versus outsider, that they think can win in a battleground.JONATHAN LEMIRE: Jen, you know Michigan really well. What are your thoughts here?JEN PALMERI: Well, first of all, it's obviously a very important Senate race, but also the sort of opening bell of the 2028 race. Because if El-Sayed wins and then goes on to win Michigan, that proves that. And he has said he's not a democratic socialist, but obviously very Progressive. Has made Gaza a big issue that I think gives that side a lot of momentum going into 2028. And if Haley Stevens holds on, goes on to win, that puts you in a different footing. But Ali, what does it feel like on the ground? What are people worried about? How - I know, you know, Gaza was a huge issue in 2024. Hurt Kamala Harris then. Do you have a sense from reporters - from voters, you know, what is weighing most heavily on them and when they're making this choice on the democratic side?VITALI: I'll give my sense as a reporter. The idea of Gaza certainly is one of the big litmus tests here. And I think for Democratic voters, that is something they are grappling with in Michigan.I also heard a lot, though, when I talked to voters, both Trump voters and Democratic voters, that cost of everything is weighing on them. I think the biggest difference was how much patience or leeway are they willing to give the president, for example, on something like gas prices, that they are connecting to the war in Iran? And I think the consistent thing I heard was whether or not they wanted to have patience or give him leeway on the issue, was that they never felt like the war itself was explained to them. And so I think that's one of the key pieces of this. But for Democrats broadly grappling with this, the reason that I think it's such a test, and I love that you frame it through 2028, Jen, is because this is really one of the first battleground states where consistently we've seen Democrats put up, quote unquote, “moderate candidates,” people like Elissa Slotkin, to win in purplish states. This would be the first real test if El Sayed wins, if he goes on to win in November of seeing a more progressive candidate win statewide. And I think that might change some of the strategy around what electability looks like in 2028.(...)7:48:56 AM EasternKATTY KAY: We definitely need to add Detroit to our to our tour. Jonathan, clearly. Look, I had a conversation with Debbie Dingell, the congresswoman from Michigan last night. And one of the things that she was pointing out is that this has become kind of an election campaign, this Senate race, that got into a fight between about Gaza and Israel. But actually, that is not the primary concern, as Ali was saying, of most Michigan voters. Their primary concern is the concern of voters all around the country. And that's affordability. And I think the real question for Abdul El-Sayed is he being - if he wins on Tuesday and the polls suggest he may well win on Tuesday - can he kind of prove those other general election polls wrong? Can he prove that a Progressive can actually win statewide? And if he does, is that because he's a Progressive, or is it because he's a particular political talent? I mean, you've got Ron Fournier comparing El-Sayed to an early Bill Clinton. That's an extraordinary endorsement of his political talents. And is that really why he's up against Haley Stevens, who most people in Michigan would accept is not a great candidate? Her team has not been particularly good. So, what was the real race here about? Was it about progressivism? Was it about Gaza/Israel, or was it just that he's been great on social media. He's a very good political athlete, and she isn't. And is that why he's ahead in the polls?(...)