Julian Epstein, a veteran Democratic operative and former chief counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, has broken with his party, accusing it of veering too far left and losing its "moral centre". In a New York Post op-ed, he announced his support for Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's Senate race, positioning himself against the progressive Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who backs policies such as Medicare for All. Fox News columnist Liz Peek presents Epstein's defection as evidence that establishment Democrats are being sidelined by a rising socialist wing within the party.

Epstein, who previously worked to help elect Hillary Clinton, said on social media that "the lunatics are in charge of the asylum" and that his party is "jumping off a cliff," adding he does not intend to follow. The piece situates his break within a broader narrative of tension between moderate and left-wing Democrats, referencing figures such as Abdul El-Sayed, AOC and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), whom the article credits with driving the party further leftward, particularly in races such as Michigan's Senate contest.