Democratic voters head to the polls Tuesday with an opportunity to deal a deathblow to their party establishment — or halt the socialist takeover of the party in its tracks. Far-left firebrand Abdul El-Sayed and establishment favorite Haley Stevens are competing for the chance to take on Trump-endorsed Republican Mike Rogers. Stevens, a sitting Congresswoman, has the backing of major Democratic figures like Gretchen Whitmer and Chuck Schumer, but El-Sayed has seen an infusion of energy from Bernie Sanders and “the squad.” The contentious election has become a microcosm of the ideological and racial divisions reshaping and causing headaches for the Democratic Party nationwide. Socialist supporters view El-Sayed as their best chance to prove the movement can win in a battleground state. Since President Donald Trump’s reelection, the Democratic establishment has watched a radical insurgency storm the country, racking up one victory after another. Socialist Zohran Mamdani’s upset in New York City’s mayoral primary became the movement’s biggest breakthrough, while three DSA-backed leftists in June upset longtime Democratic representatives. The socialist-aligned left also steamrolled its way through Washington, D.C., and Denver, then succeeded in nominating Bernie Sanders-backed Graham Platner for the U.S. Senate in Maine, before an intense pressure campaign forced him out of the race. With control of the Senate at stake, mainstream Democrats fear nominating El-Sayed could give Republicans a pickup opportunity in an otherwise wave year. Going into Election Day, El-Sayed holds a commanding lead in the primary, but could fare worse against Rogers according to the most recent polls.  Streamer Hasan Piker, who believes America deserved the September 11 terrorist attacks, has emerged as one of the movement’s most influential cheerleaders, using his enormous online following to rally support for DSA-aligned candidates. He’s campaigned with El-Sayed down the home stretch of the primary after making it his mission to oust as many establishment Democrats as possible. Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and other socialists have joined him. In many of those races, party leaders ultimately chose accommodation over confrontation, reluctantly uniting behind nominees they had once viewed as too extreme for the national brand. Michigan marked the first exception. With control of the Senate at stake, party heavyweights lined up behind Stevens, a four-term congresswoman from the Detroit suburbs, in an all-out effort to stop former Detroit public health director El-Sayed. If they fail, it will be the greatest sign yet that the Democratic establishment’s old guard is losing its grip as the socialist-aligned left gains ground nationwide. High-profile establishment Democrats, including Michigan Governor Whitmer and South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn, have endorsed Stevens. “Just like me, Haley will do whatever it takes to get things done for the people of Michigan, and we need her now more than ever,” Whitmer said in a video posted to X. The congresswoman, who recently went viral for her quirky “stick it to them” slogan, celebrated the endorsement, calling Whitmer “a champion for our state” who understands “the stakes of this race.” Meanwhile, Clyburn brought a racial component to the race. The South Carolina kingmaker who helped drag Joe Biden to his 2020 presidential nomination remarked that there aren’t many black folks at El-Sayed’s rallies. In July, a black school board member supporting Stevens told El-Sayed to stop speaking and playing Arabic music, a viral moment that inflamed racial tensions.  “The other candidate seems to be … doesn’t work a room. You have to know how to work the room. Don’t come out speaking only Arabic. Don’t come out with your Arabic music on,” Angie Smith said. “Represent everyone.” That line of criticism against El-Sayed — who is backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) — infuriated leftists. “This is insanely racist,” left-wing commentator Mehdi Hasan wrote on X. “Not only should this Angie Smith be asked to apologize, but @HaleyforMI should be asked to disown and condemn these racist remarks about @AbdulElSayed and Arab-Americans.” If elected, El-Sayed would become America’s first Muslim senator. His parents are both Egyptian immigrants, and his father was a part-time imam. His father-in-law is a founding committee member of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), which has close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, according to the federal government. His background and hard-left platform — which includes Medicare for all, abolishing ICE, defunding the police, restructuring the U.S. Supreme Court, and raising taxes on billionaires — has galvanized the Democratic Party’s far-left base. In the mold of other progressive primaries, Israel has emerged as the race’s defining issue. Stevens has embraced her identity as a “proud pro-Israel Democrat” and benefited from roughly $25 million in support from AIPAC and its allies, according to FEC filings, while El-Sayed has called Israel’s war in Gaza a “genocide” and opposes U.S. military aid to the country.  At a recent debate, El-Sayed turned his ire on Stevens over a recent vote for U.S. military aid to Israel. “Just last week, our friend here voted to send $3.3 billion of your tax dollars to a foreign government. That is the pro quo that comes with a quid of $30 million spent by AIPAC,” El-Sayed said.  Stevens fired back, saying El-Sayed “attacked me by name for purporting that the people of Palestine and the people of Israel deserve to live side by side, peacefully,” she said. “The goal is always long-term peace, and also, the prime minister of Israel has attacked me by name. Let me just say this: that the only thing that ever motivates my work is the people of Michigan, the people who I hear from.”  No matter the winner, Republicans see the internal Democratic divisions as prime real estate come November.  “The socialist takeover has its sights set on Michigan. That much is clear. They just have one major problem: we won’t let them get away with it.” Rogers said in a statement. He reportedly believes his campaign is in “good shape” to win if El-Sayed captures Tuesday’s Democratic nomination.