Reminder that a few days ago, Wajahat Ali and Keith Edwards claimed there was a leak that Haley Stevens internal pollster told her she had no path to victory and was down 14 points. That claim was started by umichvoter on X, but both accounts claimed they independently verified this.

Attacking the 700,000 Michiganders who voted for Haley Stevens ain't gonna get it. Abdul El-Sayed needs to cut this loud mouthed fucker loose.

If this is the reaction to closer-than-expected primary, I can’t imagine how dumb the takes will be in November.

“The only thing that has been driving any support for our opposition has been the $60 million of lies being put on TV.” Yeah, if last night’s results didn’t pop the bubble his campaign is living in, he will lose a winnable seat. You should read this.

Tom Nichols@radiofreetom.bsky.social · 6h ago

The Populist Left Has a Theory. We’re All About to Test It. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/o...

“Vote blue no matter who” is not the problem. Democratic voters are highly motivated to defeat Republicans. “The Dem establishment” is not the problem. They’re lining up behind the primary winner because they want to win the Senate. The problem is making the case to undecided and swing voters.

I happen to believe this will be a closer primary race than the internet does, but I’ll be curious if there are similar pieces about how that candidate’s supporters should now get behind the candidate their guy has smeared in ways he can’t take back.

I just have to push back on some “primaries are where we just test candidates and then come together and this is good” takes here. This was an ugly primary, mostly from one direction, and it’s not a great sign for November in a seat that was an easy hold in a vital midterm.

i really think it’s gonna go badly

Y’all are racist as HELL. And you really think we can’t see you saying this mess in👏🏾broad👏🏾daylight👏🏾 Your coded “low information voters” rhetoric translates to indignation that we have the nerve to think for ourselves—you resent that you can’t get us to fall for the okie doke. Racist and dumb.

Seeing a “moderate Dems need to realize it’s important to check Trump and support the nominee” piece making the rounds about the most “fuck the Dem establishment” candidate in the race who also boosted Undeclared in 2024. Yeah, I don’t think it’s moderate Dems who don’t want to check Trump.

This is, respectfully, dumb as shit. Tammy Duckworth gave her legs and she’s not using that to excuse her bad behavior

Rick Perlstein@rickperlstein.bsky.social · 5d ago

A watershed piece. America will have have a very hard time becoming less imperialist as long as combat service is sentimentalized and fetishized, when it actually tends to turn men into broken, hateful people, and helps make things like like Trumpism happen. www.newyorker.com/news/the-pol...

We have evidence that since 1964 certain Americans left Democrats and it ain't because of "class."

Michael Paulauski♨️@mike10010100.com · 2d ago

"AOC is just trying to pull the 41% of Americans who agree with MAHA!" There's no actual evidence anyone votes because of this shit beyond culture warriors who happily vote Republican for any number of other reasons (the anti-vax part, for one)!

Political facts change all the time, is the thing, and if you lean into low trust, you won't be able to build any new systems.

In a city that Harris won 2-1 Mamdani beat a Repub in a red beret. Yes, I know about Cuomo, but that reinforces my point, it’s not an exurban Trump+3 district After every big city election the press declares it shows X about the Democratic Party, & Y about national politics. It’s always wrong

Christian Petersen@iwantyoustudio.bsky.social · 2d ago

Mamdani has clearly shown us how to win. I hope the Democrats can see that.

AOC courting MAHA is just the latest example of the side who says both parties are the same yet specifically think they can appeal to the extremes rather than the ever making a case to moderates. Saw this with Platner. Seeing this with Hong a lot now too.

The ‘anti-corporate’ angle of this is so fucking dumb too; congratulations, you are lining the pockets of quacks and small time con men selling ‘alternative treatments’ instead of Big Pharma, how virtuous

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez@ocasio-cortez.house.gov · 2d ago

There is pervasive corruption across our healthcare and agricultural systems that defy party lines. I meet with MAHA activists because a lot of their concerns are bipartisan issues that major corporations paint as partisan. The fight isn't left and right, it's top and bottom.

The thing about Piker is that I just don't see what advantage there is in cozying up to him. In most polls only 10-20% of people even know who he is, & those that have hate him by a 2-1 margin. I'd say the juice wasn't worth the squeeze, but there really isn't much juice in the first place.

Joe Stieb@joestieb.bsky.social · 3d ago

This guy has anti-Semitic brain worms (among many other species of brain worm) and he needs to be treated as radioactive by every Democrat.

I’m getting fundraising ads from a candidate in a primary that takes place in two days in a state I don’t live in. I think we should take a moment to recognize how not normal this is.

I’d long ago clocked Walter Masterson as an engagement-seeking social media influencer who just went whichever direction the winds were blowing, and that has proven pretty apt. He’s not the only one. There are a ton of people like him who care more about their follower count than the nation.

Pierce@pierceah66.bsky.social · 3d ago

He put this statement out to say he didn’t participate in fucking over staff & volunteers in the Stevens phonebank but this isn’t an apology. He’s a piece of shit who should still be condemned.

How come your friend Brandy gave up on trying to get the bottom of this supposed caper?

Ben Collins@bencollins.bsky.social · 3d ago

Saying a bunch of fake PACs created by AIPAC poured millions of dollars into trying to stop her in the last two weeks is a factual reality. They changed their focus from Biss to Kat in the last two weeks because Fine couldn't win. This is just an objective fact. It probably got him over the line.

Just thinking how funny it is that Trump's Cabinet officials had to go on TV and push this line of BS knowing that it would almost certainly come back to blow up in their face.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · last mo.

BASH: But it peeled off. Why did that happen? BURGUM: It didn't peel off. There was vandalism. There was box cutters. There have been 7 arrests. BASH: There are photographs of people cutting a 350 foot gash in the reflecting pool? BURGUM: Dana, I'm not sure why you keep questioning it

Hong followed up with an appearance on CNN, which also didn’t go particularly well.

Why the GOP spent ~$3M to help this dem socialist win

YouTube video by CNN

youtu.be

This is a good read.

The Atlantic@theatlantic.com · 5d ago

Abdul El-Sayed is mixing populism and anti-Zionism in a way that has little precedent in the Democratic Party—and the ramifications of his conspiratorial rhetoric may be difficult to control, @jonathanbchait.bsky.social argues.

Katie Halper pushed the Tara Reade (now living in Russia) hoax.

Abdul El-Sayed@abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 5d ago

All eyes on Michigan. Join us on Sunday for a night of games, community, and laughter to raise the resources we need to win! RSVP:

Pretty much this entire interview goes poorly for Hong, and it’s hard to understand why her campaign thought this was a good idea.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 5d ago

Francesca Hong was just on Fox News getting grilled about her onetime support for defunding the police and current support for other DSA-endorsed positions. Here's the full interview.

It was why I & many others in the district were instantly hostile to Abughazeleh. Her campaign was launched on disgusting lies. AIPAC tried to defeat Jan, too. And Jan not only has a good record on trans issues, she’s been very public in support of her trans grandchild.

You Came In Dressed Like a Train Wreck@plbsu.bsky.social · 5d ago

She falsely smeared Jan as pro-AIPAC and anti-trans, too, both 180-degrees-from-reality lies.

After she lost, a lot of people were saying “oh I hope she learns from this, she still has a lot to give” etc. I hope these people now notice that she has instead refused to endorse the candidate who beat her and begun spewing lies blaming AIPAC, who actively opposed the winner!

These people are just not ready for prime time. This shit may or may not help/hurt them in their own races, but the fact is, this absolutely hurts the Democratic Party brand. Having someone flounder while defending terrible positions to a large audience that includes swing voters is enraging.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 5d ago

Francesca Hong was just on Fox News getting grilled about her onetime support for defunding the police and current support for other DSA-endorsed positions. Here's the full interview.

Narrator: it was in fact doctors who are driving the cost of health care

USER WAS BLOCKED FOR THIS POST@blockedforthispost.bsky.social · 6d ago

There are many reasons for the cost of healthcare. Doctors earning $400k is not the issue. Big pharma and insurance executives make millions per year.

This really puts that 2025 “Democrats are throwing trans people under the bus” meme into perspective as far as who will actually throw trans people under the bus, huh?

Humble Novice@humblenovice.bsky.social · 6d ago

Honestly, I'm not surprised to see Hasan and his ilk weaponizing transness against women like Alice Poole. The moment you become their enemy, they will target you relentlessly. The way I see it, Hasan's fanbase is just as toxic as MAGA and should have no place in the Democratic Party.