New Delhi, July 19 -- DETROIT - Abdul El-Sayed was not supposed to be this year's story.

The Michigan physician and former Democratic gubernatorial candidate had spent the better part of four years in the margins of his party, advocating for single-payer health care and Palestinian rights in a state where both positions carry significant political risk. Now, with Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez formally behind him, El-Sayed has become the most visible test of whether the progressive movement can translate energy into a Senate seat before November 2026.

Sanders announced his endorsement Friday in a statement that cast the Michigan race as a referendum on the Democratic Party's direction. "Abdul El-Sayed is running to represen...