It's been a divisive race for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, and that's just looking at the Democrat side.
Let's look at how Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) ranted back in April, saying that after the primary, they had to come together to show the "Michigan Fist" to people.
"I want you all to unite!" he shouted, in his best preacher imitation.
TONIGHT pic.twitter.com/xcYrxfu1Mx
— Kathy Hochul Stan 🌲🪵 (@_modernfootball) August 4, 2026
"I want you to punch a hole in the wall of resistance! I want you to grab a sledgehammer and knock some stuff down! I want you to reach up and grab somebody and get 'em off the couch, and get 'em on the field! We got points to put on the board! I want that Michigan Fist!"
So that sounds violent.
But then Abdul El-Sayed won the primary. Some Democrats fled and are now supporting the Republican candidate Mike Rogers. They were clearly not feeling comfortable supporting someone like El-Sayed, who they thought was extreme himself and also embraced extremists like Hasan Piker.
Then, what was truly hilarious was trying to follow the evolution of the "Michigan Fist."
Eric Michael Garcia, the D.C. bureau chief of The Independent, asked Booker at the beginning of August, after the primary, about that "Michigan Fist" and whether he was endorsing El-Sayed.
I asked Cory Booker if he has the “Michigan Fist” for Abdul El-Sayed:
— Eric Michael Garcia (@EricMGarcia) August 6, 2026
“I think what you're going to see is one of the more exciting elections in Michigan, and I think people are going to unite behind.”
Me: have you endorsed El-Sayed
Booker: “I haven't even had a chance to have… https://t.co/0NMwKKqE10
“I haven't even had a chance to have a conversation with him yet, so I'm hoping to talk to him this week," Booker replied. Uh, huh. Nice deflection there. Not.
Fast forward to this week. El-Sayed went to Washington to meet with some Democrat senators to try to elicit more support.
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed spotted in DC today - Our @NewsNation Producer @markluci072 caught video this morning of El-Sayed coming in to DSCC for a meeting with Democratic senators. He went in through the back entrance and did not answer any questions.
— Hannah Brandt (@HannahBrandt_TV) September 16, 2026
Michigan… pic.twitter.com/OA23m5QIHw
But then when they came out, the media tried to corner Booker and others about how the meeting went. Booker's response — or rather, his lack of response — was gold.
Sen. @CoryBooker after meeting with U.S. Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI): "I'm rushing to committee."@SenTinaSmith: "Had a great conversation." pic.twitter.com/ytIkhqDhuv
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 16, 2026
They didn't exactly come out looking enthusiastic. They had to prompt Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) to give an obligatory, "Had a great conversation." Not a good look, if we just look at that exit. One has to think they know there are a lot of issues.
But Booker's response was hilarious. "I'm rushing to committee," he said. He couldn't even make the simple comment that Smith made. He wouldn't even answer when asked if he would campaign with El-Sayed.
Dude, where's that Michigan Fist?
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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