HAPPENING TODAY
“The money vs. the many” in Michigan
The political world turns its eyes to Michigan today, as voters head to the polls in a handful of high-stakes, competitive Democratic primaries for the U.S. House and Senate. The marquee contest, which has already spawned millions of words in print and thousands of hours of television and radio coverage, pits progressive Abdul El-Sayed against centrist Rep. Haley Stevens in the race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.
The race has been, well…chaotic…and has evolved into a fierce confrontation between the dueling factions of the Democratic Party. In Abdul's corner are the influencers, podcasters, young progressives, and angry anti-Trump activists who are demanding the party stand for something big and fight. On Stevens' side stand Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the Israel lobby, and the party's mega-donor class, many of whom are horrified by the rising tide of Lefty populism overtaking more than a few primaries this cycle.
Perhaps predictably, that dynamic has made this race the most expensive Democratic primary in history, and a lopsided one. It has basically been a David vs. Goliath fight, with El-Sayed outgunned by tens of millions of dollars in dark-money spending on Stevens' behalf. Despite all that cash, Stevens has consistently trailed in the polls, and many observers (including the prediction markets) expect the Left to notch a big win tonight.
Regardless, tonight's result will serve as a good temperature check on whether the Democrats' Tea Party moment has truly arrived, or whether a party establishment can actually throw enough money at a problem to make it go away.
I’m going to be honest: I’m terrible at predictions, and there have already been so many takes published on this race that there's little more I can contribute here. So for more reading, check out these takes on a very chaotic primary:
The most consequential race of 2026 is not in November (Substack/Ron Fournier, 8/1)
Is Michigan a reckoning for the Democratic establishment? (Message Box/Dan Pfeiffer, 8/4)
Democrats confront their new Tea Party reality (HuffPost/Kevin Robillard, 8/2)
How a marquee Senate primary became the Democrats’ latest proxy war (CNN/Edward-Isaac Dovere, 8/2)
How a Squandered Democratic Trifecta Is Pushing Michigan Left (Drop Site/Ryan Grim, 8/3)
The Secret Influencer Campaign Boosting Haley Stevens (UserMag/Taylor Lorenz, 7/38)
‘It’s my bleeding heart’: Michiganders agonize over Stevens vs. El-Sayed (The Bulwark/Sarah Longwell, 8/3)
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CIVIC SHOUT
What if you could raise more in 2026?
Groups like Common Cause, Earthjustice, and Amnesty International are setting themselves up to crush it in 2026 with Civic Shout, and you can too.
READING LIST
38 politics, media, and tech newsletters to read
As someone who writes a newsletter about politics and media, it probably won’t surprise you that I read a lot of email newsletters. On any given day, I receive about ~60 of them, and attempt to at least skim them all. I’ve found this mechanism of receiving my news cuts down on the amount of time I spend scrolling on social media for story ideas, and I genuinely enjoy the often niche expertise and perspective I get from the writers I subscribe to. One of my friends asked me last week if I had recommendations for more newsletters he should read ahead of the midterms, so I pulled together my full reading list for him here.
WATCH
Buttigieg on Diary of a CEO
This week, former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg sat down with Steven Bartlett on Diary of a CEO, one of the most-listened-to podcasts in the industry. The sprawling, nearly two-hour conversation covered just about everything, from AI to Israel and whether he'll launch a presidential campaign next year. Watch the full interview below:
ROUND-UP
More things you should read or watch this week
I spoke to the New York Times for this piece on the fracturing MAGA media ecosystem, as once-loyal voices like Tucker Carlson, Candace, and Megyn Kelly continue to break with Trump over the Iran war and the economy.
Axios expanded on my “Jon Ossoff Rally Truther” piece, looking at the various dynamics behind the Georgia Senator’s 2028 hype. Speaking of Ossoff: Sabato's Crystal Ball moved Georgia's Senate race from Leans to Likely Democratic.
POLITICO has a kind of alarming deep dive into the young GOP staffer pipeline, where groyper-adjacent extremism has seeped into the party's bloodstream.
Former Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler, currently on a book tour, is now eyeing a 2028 Senate run, according to NBC News.
The AP documented the new independent media ecosystem on the Left, from Breaking Points to MeidasTouch, and how some of those outlets are boosting anti-establishment candidates in races like the Michigan Senate primary.
Sen. Adam Schiff introduced legislation that would require influencers to disclose when campaigns pay them to post and crack down on fraudulent AI-generated political ads. Read about it here at Semafor.
Judd Legum at Popular Information reported that Meta struck a deal to train its AI on Newsmax content, adding to a growing list of right-wing outlets feeding the company’s models while it has zero such partnerships with left-leaning publications.
The Texas Senate race continues to be fought over…masculinity. Republicans have spent months attacking James Talarico's manhood with nicknames and AI-generated attack ads, and Politico reports the Democratic nominee is now attempting to lean into the fight.
The DNC’S botched 2024 autopsy story just won’t die.
A Republican congressman is facing allegations of misconduct and inappropriate relationships with female staffers, including mailing one 30 tubs of ice cream.
ONE LAST THING
Are Republicans actually better at using AI?
I've noticed a new piece of conventional wisdom emerging in the political bloodstream: political reporters keep asserting that Republicans are more willing to use AI tools in innovative ways to win elections. Whether or not that's true deserves a much deeper dive (stay tuned), but in the meantime, enjoy this prime example of Republicans putting AI to work, lol:
