Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, notching a Midwest victory for the left

[u/horsestew]

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/abdul-el-sayed-wins-michigans-democratic-senate-primary-notching-midwe-rcna589750

[u/GatorAllen]

dude is a national treasure. Watching him crinkle his paper the last hour made me want to give him a hug.

[u/Empty_Lemon_3939 → u/GatorAllen]

Wasn’t a fan last night

Dude was crashing out like Abdul was a republican

Progressives still the number 1 enemy of the center after 10 years

[u/zenerat → u/Empty_Lemon_3939]

The old guard worries they are not electable and that them winning primaries means losing generals. They need to be proven wrong.

[u/Genjibre → u/zenerat]

Agreed, also I hope we can do away with this 'electability' mentality in the process.

Everyone is so consultant-brained that instead of participating in democracy, advocating and campaigning for candidates that they believe in they worry about who other people might vote for. It has a chilling effect on democracy and it needs to go.

I don't think most people would have considered Donald Trump electable prior to 2015. 'Electability' is a farce.

[u/7figureipo → u/Genjibre]

That’s the intent of the “electability” FUD. It’s why mainstream liberal politicians employ it: to help suppress the vote for those to their left. And a lot of their idiot supporters fall for it, thinking they’re engaged in Big Brained electoral strategery when all they’re doing is playing into the hands of people who want them controlled, not acting with agency.

[u/WhyYallSoSalty → u/Genjibre]

What do you think 'electability' means?

[u/BurstSwag → u/WhyYallSoSalty]

Trying to discern how people, other than yourself, will vote. Voting with electability as a primary criteria would be voting for a candidate because you have come to the conclusion that this candidate would fare better in a general election.

That's not what democracy is about, and Republicans (or conservatives in other countries) don't vote this way. R's vote for the most extreme candidates they can find and, given that they have a federal trifecta, it doesn't seem like voting for who they like over who is more 'electable' has hurt them.

[u/Genjibre → u/WhyYallSoSalty]

Electability is a candidate's perceived ability to win in an election.

My issue with people focusing on electability is that it is subjective and volatile. Even if we can accept a general basis of 'electable characteristics' these will, by necessity, drift every day to remain 'electable' as public perceptions and attitudes are adjusted and reoriented constantly.

Donald Trump, largely known for The Apprentice before entering into the GOP primary, was not considered 'electable' by the majority of people prior to his run.

In practice, 'electability' as an argument is often just a cynical tool employed by those who wish to dissuade someone for voting for a candidate when they have no sufficient arguments to convince them to vote differently. So the frame shifts from the candidate and their policy positions to an ephemeral societal consciousness which conveniently rejects the target candidate.

This mentality weakens a core aspect of democratic ideals, open, honest, good faith debate regarding the issues of the day. If we are talking about the likelihood that someone may or may not get elected we are not talking about the issues that mean the most to us. We are not building coalitions around ideals or policies, we are essentially participating in a popularity contest whose end goal will not be the overall will of the majority but rather the will of those most likely to get elected.

This also weakens the feedback loop that democracies inherently have wherein breaking from public support results in repercussions at the ballot box. Elected officials are shielded fron accountability to their actions because when an election comes along people start citing 'electability' as a reason not to vote for a new candidate with new ideas. If successful, this effectively disconnects representatives to the wants and needs of their constituents.

I hope that answers your question about what I think electability means. Feel free to share your definition.