Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary has been among the most contentious elections so far this year.
With a week to go until the Aug. 4 primary, the matchup that pits Rep. Haley Stevens and former Wayne County public health official Abdul El-Sayed highlights the ongoing tension between the party’s moderate and progressive wings.
The winner will face former Rep. Mike Rogers, who is unopposed for the Republican nomination, in a state that both parties consider a priority. For Democrats, holding on to retiring Sen. Gary Peters’ seat is critical to their hopes of winning control of the chamber. For Republicans, flipping the seat could help either pad their majority or serve as a buffer against losses elsewhere.
Stevens, a centrist who has represented suburban Detroit since 2019, has cast herself as the better general electron candidate. Her campaign on Tuesday pointed to a July 22-24 Glengariff poll commissioned by the Michigan Education Association and Business Leaders for Michigan that found her in a statistical tie with Rogers, 46 percent to his 45 percent, in a hypothetical matchup. In contrast, the same poll showed Rogers leading El-Sayed, 49 percent to 39 percent.
“Abdul is running for celebrity. Republicans are propping up his campaign,” Stevens said Monday at their final primary debate, pointing to a report that Rogers said on a private phone call that his campaign would be in “good shape” if El-Sayed emerged as the Democratic nominee.
