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August 5, 2026 / 4:44 AM EDT
/ CBS News
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Tuesday's Michigan Democratic Senate primary race remains unsettled, with progressive Abdul El-Sayed holding onto a narrow lead over moderate Haley Stevens with votes still being counted. CBS News was describing the race overnight Wednesday as leaning toward El-Sayed.The race between the progressive former health official and Stevens, a moderate congresswomen, has served as an increasingly bitter proxy fight between the national Democratic Party's ideological factions.The winner of the primary will face off against Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in November. The race — which was left open by Democratic Sen. Gary Peters' decision to retire — could prove pivotal in determining which party controls the U.S. Senate next year.With more than 85% of the statewide vote counted, El-Sayed led by double-digit margins in Kent County, home to Grand Rapids, and Washtenaw County, home to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan. He also had leads in Kalamazoo County and Ingham County, where most of the state capital of Lansing is located.Stevens, meanwhile, has an edge in the state's most populous county, Wayne County, which is home to Detroit and many of its suburbs. She also leads in neighboring suburban Oakland County and Macomb County, as well as Genesee County, home to Flint.Both candidates addressed supporters early Wednesday morning, expressing optimism while cautioning that they didn't expect to know the winner for a while.El-Sayed celebrated his statewide lead and said "we are on track to vastly outvote the historical numbers that we should have expected."
