Abdul El-Sayed’s win in the Michigan Senate primary was a historic breakthrough(突破，重大进展). Not only because he is a Muslim son of immigrants who broke with(与……决裂，打破) almost every single tenet(信条，原则) of establishment Democratic party politics. But because he has wiped that complacent(自满的，自鸣得意的) sneer(冷笑，嘲笑) at progressive wins off the faces of centrist gatekeeper(守门人，把关者)s. Zohran Mamdani? Relax, he’s just a mayor. And it’s New York City. Outside urban and liberal corridors, there is nothing to worry about. Now El-Sayed has won the Democratic party’s nomination in a swing state(摇摆州，关键州) that is also on the list of presidential nomination states.
阿卜杜勒·埃尔-赛义德在密歇根州参议院初选中的胜利是一次历史性突破。不仅因为他是移民之子、穆斯林，几乎打破了建制派民主党政治的每一条信条；更因为他抹去了中间派守门人脸上对进步派胜利的那种自鸣得意的嘲笑。佐赫兰·马姆达尼？放轻松，他不过是个市长。而且那是纽约市。在城市和自由派走廊之外，没什么可担心的。如今，埃尔-赛义德在一个摇摆州赢得了民主党提名，而这个州也在总统提名州的名单上。
There is a lot to be excited about. Not only within the US, but for observers abroad hopeful for the emergence of a truly revolutionary left that is able to weather(经受住，平安渡过) powerful and well-funded adversaries and prevail. The money raised to defeat El-Sayed was staggering(惊人的，令人震惊的). He was outspent by more than nine to one(被超过九比一的资金碾压). It was the most expensive Democratic congressional primary ever. A roll call of cartoon bad guys, such as Chevron and Philip Morris, funded his opponent, Haley Stevens, to the tune of(高达，总计) over $60m. Of that funding, nearly half came from a Super Pac(超级政治行动委员会) backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac(美国以色列公共事务委员会)).
值得兴奋的事情有很多。不仅在美国国内，对于海外观察者而言，他们也希望看到一个真正革命性的左翼出现，能够抵御强大且资金充裕的对手并取得胜利。为击败埃尔-赛义德而筹集的资金数额惊人。他的对手花费是他的九倍多。这是有史以来最昂贵的民主党国会初选。一系列卡通式的反派，如雪佛龙和菲利普·莫里斯，为他的对手海利·史蒂文斯提供了超过6000万美元的资金。其中近一半来自美国以色列公共事务委员会（Aipac）支持的超级政治行动委员会。
The symbolism(象征意义) of the win is heavy, that of a politics snapping the chains of(挣脱……的锁链) corporate power and special interest groups whose agendas run counter to(与……背道而驰) voters’. It suggests two things. One, an electorate(全体选民) waking up to the fact that its democracy is captured. Two, features in the past that would have been disqualifying(取消资格的) – lack of experience, lack of establishment endorsement – now render a candidate a “clean skin(干净的人，清白者)”. Someone untainted(未受污染的，清白的) by the sordid(肮脏的，卑鄙的) game that keeps in play expensive healthcare, cruelty to immigrants and the hoovering(吸走，抽走) of tax dollars out of the country.
这场胜利的象征意义重大，它象征着一种政治挣脱了企业权力和特殊利益集团的枷锁，这些集团的议程与选民背道而驰。它暗示了两件事。其一，选民正在觉醒，意识到自己的民主已被俘获。其二，过去会取消资格的特征——缺乏经验、缺乏建制派支持——如今反而使候选人成为“干净的人”。一个未受肮脏游戏玷污的人，而这个游戏维持着昂贵的医疗、对移民的残忍以及将税收资金吸出国外。