Welcome to a special edition of At the Races! Throughout the 2026 primary season, watch for these updates from the CQ Roll Call campaign team on what you need to know for Election Day. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here.
By Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari
Tuesday’s headline race – the Democratic primary for Michigan’s open Senate seat – is a battle between the party’s establishment and progressive wings that has drawn more than $80 million in spending and sparked several personal attacks.
Rep. Haley Stevens faces former public health official Abdul El-Sayed, with the winner set to take on former Rep. Mike Rogers, who is unopposed in the Republican primary. Recent polls have shown El-Sayed with a decisive lead over the more moderate Stevens.
While progressives have had big wins this summer in deep-blue areas, a win by El-Sayed on Tuesday would set up a major test for the party’s left flank this fall: Can they win a general election for a swing-state seat the party likely must hold to have a chance of flipping the Senate?
