Sen. Ed Markey on Wednesday joined the growing list of senators backing Dr. Abdul El-Sayed in next week’s critical Democratic primary in Michigan.

“Abdul El-Sayed is the bold progressive leader Michiganders need fighting for them in the Senate. As a doctor and public health leader in Detroit, Abdul has seen firsthand how our broken health care system leaves working families behind, and we need him in the Senate to help pass Medicare for All and guarantee health care as a human right,” Markey (D-Mass.) said.

“Abdul refuses to take corporate PAC money and has earned the support of organized labor because working people know he will put their interests ahead of the billionaires, private equity, and corporate interests that have rigged the system against them," added the senator. "I am proud to endorse Abdul El-Sayed.”

Markey, who is gearing up for his own competitive primary in Massachusetts against the centrist Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton, is now the fifth US senator to endorse El-Sayed, who already has the backing of Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.).

Other stars of the progressive movement have also put their support behind El-Sayed, including potential 2028 presidential candidate Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who has campaigned with him in Michigan in recent weeks.

“Ed Markey has dedicated his life to making government work for the people of Massachusetts,” El-Sayed said in response to the endorsement. “He’s led on bringing climate justice to the forefront of our politics while rejecting money from corporations who want to stop him. His leadership in Congress is unparalleled, and I look forward to joining him in the Senate to get money out of politics, put money in people’s pockets, and pass Medicare for All.”

The Michigan primary has grown increasingly contentious in recent weeks as affiliates of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) have spent a record of at least $30 million running ads boosting Stevens and bashing El-Sayed.

Another dark money group with undisclosed donors and ties to a well-known corporate lobbyist, A Stronger Michigan, has reported spending over $17 million so far to back Stevens, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

With less than a week before Michiganders head to the polls, there remains little clarity about who is favored to face former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers for the seat in a general election that could determine control of the Senate and—perhaps even more critically—serve as proof of concept for an insurgent progressive movement’s ability to win competitive elections in purple states.

A survey published on Wednesday by the Democratic polling firm Tavern Research showed El-Sayed leading 48%-37% over Stevens. This is consistent with polls commissioned earlier this month by pro-El-Sayed groups, which showed similar double-digit leads.

A Detroit News/WDIV-TV poll earlier this month by the Glengariff Group showed Stevens leading El-Sayed by seven points, though it coincided with a previous Tavern poll that showed Stevens edging out El-Sayed by a point, suggesting there could have been a shift toward El-Sayed in recent weeks.

The Tavern polls show a decline in net favorability for both candidates among Democratic voters, but the decline is dramatically worse for Stevens.

While the poll released on July 8 showed Stevens with a net favorability of +40 among Democratic voters, that had deteriorated to just +18 by July 29. El-Sayed’s favorability also shrank during that time, but by much less—from +45 to +40.

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