Michigan hosts an important US Senate race this election cycle – and has potential to sway control of Congress. In recent years Michigan has been an interesting state electorally – with both Democrats and Republicans eye-ing it up. Most recently, the Democrats suffered a poor performance in the state in the 2024 Presidential Election.
Primaries will be held on August 4th, with the election taking place in the November midterms. The race is between Representative Haley Stevens, State Senator Mallory McMorrow and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. The three Democratic hopefuls are in the running to replace Democrat Gary Peters, who is retiring at 67 years old.
El-Sayed currently holds a strong lead in the polls. A poll released by Mitchell Research & Communication shows him leading at 28% overall, with Stevens at 18% and McMorrow at 17%. Rather notably, El-Sayed has successfully courted young voters, and leads with 18-44 year-olds at 80%. Former Representative Mike Rogers, who previously lost his Senate run to Democrat Elissa Slotkin, is the main Republican running for the seat.
This state election has gained national attention in recent weeks with multiple controversies brewing. It has also contributed to larger discourse on Israel’s war in Gaza, immigration enforcement and the influence of corporate PAC money, specifically the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the pro-Israel lobbying organisation. Other dark money groups regional to Michigan have also placed a vested interest into this race, such as the utility corporation DTE. In April, Stevens was booed by attendees at the Michigan Democratic Party Convention for accepting money from AIPAC, signaling that money from these lobbies are becoming a political liability.
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, 41
El-Sayed is a public health official running a progressive campaign with a focus on healthcare. Endorsed by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, El-Sayed has spent most of his life advocating for ‘Medicare for All’. He previously ran for governor in 2018, where he pushed for the abolition of medical debt, and has done so for upwards of 300,000 Michiganders as a public health official.
In favour of banning corporate money in politics, El-Sayed has vowed not to accept corporate PAC money. The physician has taken the ‘Political Integrity Pledge’ to reject corporate PAC money, support a stock trading ban and hold no individual stocks while in office, support a lobbying ban for former members of Congress and support overturning Citizens United.
Abdul is the only candidate running in the Michigan Senate race who supports and advocates for Medicare for All:
“As a nation, Americans hold more than $255 billion in medical debt. I think it shouldn’t exist-and erased it for upwards of 300,000 Michiganders in Wayne County. I favour abolishing it for every American immediately.”
Along with his popular messaging on healthcare, El-Sayed is also gaining traction with the labour unions. El-Sayed recently scored a key endorsement from the United Auto Workers (UAW), adding labour firepower to the primary. The union represents over 400,000 members, making it a key union to have the support of. A state with a large auto-industry and long history of union influence in Democratic politics, the UAW’s backing gives El-Sayed a major boost in the race.
Abdul’s stance on immigration is one centred on creating a “comprehensive and fair system”. For him, it begins with abolishing ICE, as it has “become a tool for autocracy.”
He describes on his website: “Its culture of aggression, impunity, and disregard for the rule of law cannot be reformed or retrained. It must be abolished.”
Mallory McMorrow, 39
The self-described defender of “liberal values”, state senator McMorrow has attempted to toe-the-line and establish herself as a ‘middle-ground’/’moderate’ between Stevens and El-Sayed. Championing her election, where she flipped a district that had previously voted Republican by 16 points, McMorrow has received notable endorsements including some big names within the Democratic Party, such as Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
During her time in government, McMorrow expanded the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to ensure coverage of dependents until the age of 26, prohibited the denying of coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and the guarantee of including essential health benefits such as preventative care and mental health. McMorrow has not endorsed a single-payer system such as Medicare for All. Instead, she vows to protect Medicare and Medicaid from funding cuts which the Trump administration has enacted, and to create a “public option”. Speaking to Michigan residents, McMorrow said: “Some people conflate Medicare for All with universal healthcare. But, Medicare for All, when it’s actually defined, is one singular government-run healthcare system that we are all on.”
On immigration, McMorrow officially supports legislation to require “all ICE officers to wear uniforms and clear identification to prevent fear and distrust with plain-clothes officers conducting raids in communities”, echoing the response from other Democrats in Congress – such as House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, who has repeatedly called for this action. Notably, she does not endorse abolishing ICE.
Like her fellow candidate El-Sayed, McMorrow recently took the Political Integrity Pledge. Previously however, McMorrow received $518,494 in Corporate PAC funds during her last term in office.
Haley Stevens, 42
The establishment pick, Stevens could rightly be considered a ‘corporate Democrat’. Amidst a national push away from corporate money in politics and a desire for a shake-up in party leadership, her campaign has continued to take PAC money, and has received endorsements from prominent Democrats such as former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Stevens has a history in federal governance, going back to the Obama presidency. From 2009 – 2011, she served as Chief of Staff for the Auto Rescue Task Force. Now, she is a Representative from the state’s 11th Congressional District, where she has been since 2018. While in Congress, Stevens has been a member of several committees and helped pass Biden-era bills such as the ‘Inflation Reduction Act’.
Through the Inflation Reduction Act, Michigan was able to negotiate certain drug prices, and cap the cost of insulin at $35 per month for seniors. Looking deeper into healthcare, Stevens opposes a ‘Medicare for All’ system, and advocates for expanding the Affordable Care Act (ACA), ultimately aiming to lower healthcare costs without eliminating private health insurance.
On immigration, Stevens’ position varies. On the state-level, she has backed legislation which would allow undocumented workers and families access to driver’s licenses. However, Stevens opposes abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and instead supports “reining in” its practices. In Congress, she voted in favour of a bill to express gratitude to the agency, and condemned anti-ICE protests.
Stevens’ biggest challenge to overcome will likely be on her campaign financing. She has proclaimed herself as a ‘pro-Israel Democrat’, and during a state nominating convention event in April, was booed by audience members who were unhappy with her continued support for Israel. Overall, $7,972,402 has been spent by pro-Israel PACS on behalf of Stevens.