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Where El-Sayed Showed Strengths, and Weaknesses, in the Michigan Primary

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed had a strong showing in college towns, while Representative Haley Stevens did well in Black urban centers.

Michigan’s Senate Democratic primary was acrimonious, expensive, highly competitive and illustrative of the deep divides shaping the sprawling Democratic coalition.

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who won the Democratic nomination, was a favorite of younger voters and college-educated liberals, while Representative Haley Stevens, who trailed him by less than one percentage point on Wednesday afternoon, appeared strong in areas that are home to many Black and working-class voters. Both demonstrated traction in a number of upscale suburban counties.

Here’s a closer look at where each candidate showed strength.

El-Sayed ran up the score in counties with big college towns.

Dr. El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official, was the overwhelming favorite in college towns and some urban areas, including in Washtenaw County, home to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan, winning 61 percent of the vote there. He also posted a strong showing in Ingham County, where Lansing and Michigan State University are based, and in Kent County, home to fast-growing Grand Rapids, where there are a number of colleges as well as a vibrant community of young professionals.

He did well in a number of wealthy counties.

He also carried some of the counties with the highest median incomes, including Washtenaw, Livingston — between Detroit and Lansing — and Ottawa, near Grand Rapids. There were exceptions, including Ms. Stevens’s home turf of Oakland County.

He dominated in areas with large Arab communities.

Dr. El-Sayed, the Michigan-born son of Egyptian immigrants, was a strong performer in areas with significant Arab American populations. In the majority-Arab community of Dearborn, Mich., he was winning nearly 80 percent of the vote. In nearby Dearborn Heights, he notched more than 70 percent of the vote.

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