# Dems’ Far-Left Michigan Mandani Wins. Why El-Sayed Will Struggle With Independents.

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff-981737/dems-far-left-michigan-mandani-wins-why-el-sayed-will-struggle-with-independents
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff-981737/dems-far-left-michigan-mandani-wins-why-el-sayed-will-struggle-with-independents.md
Podcast: [Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff](https://stenobird.com/podcast/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff-981737)
Published: 2026-08-06T09:45:00+00:00
Episode link: https://bleav.com/shows/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff/?post_type=gp_podcast_episode&p=620
Audio file: https://pdrl.fm/c39fb6/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/1385/injector.simplecastaudio.com/c67dcf2c-bdc6-42d2-91a1-db918b8e8626/episodes/77407bdd-efe7-4e38-92de-9e6b2bc0ba3b/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=c67dcf2c-bdc6-42d2-91a1-db918b8e8626&awEpisodeId=77407bdd-efe7-4e38-92de-9e6b2bc0ba3b&feed=8GTvjwcf
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Duration seconds: 1202

## Resource

Michigan is not Manhattan. That's the through-line of this one. The Democratic primary in Michigan handed the U.S. Senate nomination to Abdul El-Sayed, a far-left progressive in a state where roughly 17% of voters are independent and Mike Rogers is waiting on the Republican side. Paul Rieckhoff calls it what it is: another gift from a rigged two-party primary system to the MAGA machine, and one more reason the Democrats will not save you. The Bernie-vs-Schumer civil war is nominating candidates who can't galvanize independents or win general elections — and it's happening on the biggest stages in the country.

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## Transcript

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