McMorrow exits Michigan Senate race, boosting Stevens and El-Sayed showdown

Mallory McMorrow’s suspension on July 5 left Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary as a two-person race between U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens and former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed, sharpening a contest that had already been reshaped by ballots going out before McMorrow withdrew. The seat is open because Sen. Gary Peters, first elected in 2014, said in January 2025 that he would not seek re-election.

The primary is set for August 4, with the general election on November 3, and the winner will likely face Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers. Michigan is widely rated a toss-up, and Democrats need to gain four Senate seats to take control of the chamber. It is Michigan’s first truly competitive Democratic Senate primary in 32 years, according to Ballotpedia.

The race has become a proxy fight over what kind of Democratic Party emerges from the 2026 cycle. Stevens has the backing of much of the party establishment and has been positioned as the mainstream candidate, while El-Sayed has won support from progressive movement leaders.

The sharpest disagreements have centered on immigration, campaign money, foreign policy and health care. El-Sayed has called for abolishing ICE, while Stevens backed the House bill titled the Hold ICE Accountable Act of 2026. El-Sayed has also pushed a single-payer national health insurance plan, a contrast to Stevens, who has pointed to her work on President Barack Obama’s 2009 auto industry task force and her votes for semiconductor manufacturing and STEM grant legislation.

Money has become its own fault line. McMorrow said her campaign was built with “zero corporate PAC dollars,” while the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has poured millions into ads supporting Stevens, leaving both McMorrow and El-Sayed struggling to keep pace. In the July 7 debate in Grand Rapids, Stevens and El-Sayed repeatedly turned policy disputes into arguments over campaign finance and outside spending.

Some influential Democrats had stayed on the sidelines because of their relationships with McMorrow, but her exit may push them toward Stevens as concerns grow about El-Sayed’s general-election viability. Peters has declined to endorse a successor, saying he wants a “good Democrat” who can also work in a bipartisan way.